Soul Mate
by HeirToTheShadows
Summary: When Tohru brings home a friend from school, Shigure finds himself almost ridiculously attracted to her. To make things worse, she feels the same level of attraction. How will their relationship ever work out? Rated M for later chapters. Shigure X OC TEMPORARY HIATUS
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1-

Emiko's POV-

"Tohru!" shouted Emiko. She had been living here six months, and Tohru was her best friend. She had never fit in at her old school, because she wasn't afraid to share her opinion, and wasn't good with people. That was probably because she had been home schooled until she was in middle school, which is when her parents sent her to public school, which didn't work out. So they moved to Japan. Her family said it was to "learn more about her heritage", but she knew it was because they wanted her to make friends, and she had alienated everybody in her home town. Emiko didn't mind. She loved hearing stories about her father's home. Her home now.

"Emiko!" Tohru shouted back, turning from her conversation with Yuki and Kyo, "How are you today?"

"Pretty good, but we have to go somewhere other then my house to study tonight," Emiko said with a frown. On Wednesdays Tohru tutored her in math, and she tutored Tohru in English.

"Why?" asked a confused Tohru.

"My parents are painting the apartment," Emiko stated calmly, "Although, I'm definitely not looking forward to sharing a hotel room with them tonight." Emiko shuddered.  
Tohru considered what Emiko had said for a while, opening her mouth, and then closing it.

"Just spit it out!" Kyo shouted.

"Why aren't you looking forward to sharing a room with your parents?" Tohru asked innocently. Yuki's cheeks turned pink at the same moment that Kyo looked at Tohru in shock.

"Because for old people they sure do get awfully frisky," she said with another shudder. Kyo, Yuki, and Tohru turned matching shades of red. Emiko struggled not to smile or laugh, but little choking noises came out.

"What!" Kyo shouted, still bright red.

"Does having that much blood in your face hurt?" she struggled out before bursting into hysterical laughter.

"What are you talking about?" Kyo shouted.

"You're blushing," Yuki said, no longer bright red.

"I am not, stupid ra-" Kyo was shouting when Yuki kicked him out the front doors.

"Should we stop them this time?" Emiko asked Tohru.

"No," Tohru said. She looked like she was thinking hard, until suddenly she got an excited look on her face, "Do you want to study at my house? You can stay the night if you want." Tohru smiled her *I just did something really nice* smile.

"I...," Emiko said, not sure she wanted to spend the night in the same house as Yuki or Kyo, let alone both. Then, there was Shigure, the owner of the house where Tohru lived. Emiko had been over to Tohru's quite a few times, and every time Shigure either wasn't there, or was locked in his room until she left, "I don't know..."

"Please," Tohru pleaded, "It'll be fun."

Emiko sighed, "Fine, I'll stay the night."

Tohru hugged her, "It'll be so much fun! Come on, let's go!"

"Tohru, I have to go get stuff so I can stay," she said, amused by Tohru's behavior, "I'll be at your house in about a half an hour, okay?"

"Okay, see you in half an hour!" Tohru said, scampering off to find Yuki and Kyo so they could walk home with her.

~And may nothing to horrible happen tonight~ Emiko thought, heading home to collect her things and tell her parents where she would be tonight.

Shigure's POV-  
It was calm in his house. The birds were chirping, the sun was shining, and he hadn't played any cruel tricks on his editor today. ~Hatori would be proud~ thought Shigure just before the silence was shattered by Kyo flying through the front door and slamming into the wall.

"Hey, just because Tohru's not here doesn't mean you two need to fight." Shigure said, then mumbled, "And why must we abuse my poor house."

Yuki walked in the house, closely followed by Tohru.

"Tohru! What are you doing here? Don't you go study with Emiko on Wednesdays?" Shigure asked her.

"Oh, her parents are painting their apartment today, so we are going to study here, and then she's going to stay the night," Tohru said with a smile. Her face turned shocked, and she gasped, "Oh no, I didn't think to ask if it was okay if she stayed! I'll tell her she can't stay! Wait, I can't tell her that, that would be rude! What do I-"

"Tohru," Shigure interrupted, "It's fine. This is your house, too. If you want to invite someone over, that's fine. So, I'll finally get to meet Emiko." Shigure smiled, thinking to himself ~A high-school girl, a young beautiful high-school girl.~

A knock on the door-frame brought him back to reality. A young girl stood in his doorway, and he felt a pulse of fear.

She had silky black curls that reached almost to her waist. Tall, and pale, with adorable golden freckles. She had large green eyes, one of the darkest, most beautiful greens he had ever seen. There was a faint smile on her plump, kissable lips, and laughter in her eyes when she saw Kyo sit up from where he hit the wall. None of this is what scared him.

What scared him was his reaction to her. The moment he saw her, the moment he smelled her, a single word ran through his mind. Mine. Just one word. But with that word came a need. A need to claim her in some way, mark her so no one else ever thought they could have her. It made his heart pound like it hadn't since his first crush. It scared the absolute shit out of him.

"What happened here?" the girl asked. ~Her voice~ Shigure thought in pleasure. It calmed the need in him, yet somehow made him need to claim her even more.  
"I kicked him through the door," Yuki said with a small smile. The girl grinned and burst out laughing.

Shigure felt a burst of pleasure at her laugh and smile, and a burst of anger that it had been Yuki, not him, who had done it.

"Emiko! You're early!" Tohru shouted happily. ~This is Emiko. I'm supposed to spend a night in a house with her?~ Shigure thought, not sure if he was happy or scared, ~If she stays any longer I'm going to get emotional whiplash.~

"Yeah, it didn't take as long to convince my parents as I thought it would. Guess they really wanted to get frisky," she said with a large smile, as Yuki, Kyo, and Tohru turned an amazing shade of red.

"Oh, you haven't met Shigure yet," Tohru said, waking over to Emiko. She grabbed her arm and marched her to where he sat, "Emiko, this is Shigure Sohma. He owns this house. Shigure-san, this is my friend Emiko Koga. She's who I study with on Wednesdays."

~How do you get any studying done?~ Shigure thought.

Emiko's POV-  
"Oh, you haven't met Shigure yet," Tohru said, crossing the room to her, and grabbing her arm. Then she marched over to an extremely handsome man. ~Oh my god~ thought Emiko in shock, ~What is happening to me?~

He had beautiful dark hair that skimmed his shoulders and beautiful brown-gray eyes. He was gorgeous. But what shocked her was the instinctive desire, no need, to go over to him, and kiss him, let him do whatever he wanted. The fact that she wanted him to dominate her frightened her a little bit. But not as much as she liked the idea. ~Is this what having a crush is like?~ she thought. She wouldn't know. She had never had one. Her heart pounded in her ears, so loud she was scared he would hear it. So loud that she didn't hear Tohru introduce them. But she heard him talk to her.

"It's nice to meet you, Koga-san," he said in his beautiful, yet playful voice. Even so, she winced at the distance implied by the name. She had just met him, and still didn't want him calling her that.

"Call me Emiko, Sohma-san," she said. This time, he winced. Shockingly, it hurt when that happened.

"Only if you'll call me Shigure, Emiko-chan," he said with a smile.

With a faint blush, and her heart thundering, she nodded, "Sure thing, Shigure-san."  
"Come on, Emiko. We have to go study," Tohru said, dragging her up the stairs. Emiko couldn't look away from Shigure as she walked away from him, hoping irrationally that it would be the last time.

Shigure's POV-  
He saw the interest in her eyes, and knew she didn't hear Tohru introduce them. This left the formalities up to him. But be couldn't help flirting with her a little.

"It's nice to meet you, Koga-san," he said in a flirtatious tone. His heart broke a little when he saw her wince.

"Please, call me Emiko, Sohma-san," she said. He felt himself wince and saw the hurt in her eyes. He had to fix it.

"Only if you call me Shigure, Emiko-chan," he smiled, hoping he had fixed what he had done.

His smile grew a little bit when he saw the faint blush, "Sure thing, Shigure-san." Better.  
"Come on, Emiko, we have to go study," Tohru said dragging her up the stairs. He wavered between outraged that Tohru had taken her away from him, and amused that she seemed so reluctant, he settled for amused when he saw her staring at him until she couldn't see him anymore.

Shigure smiled ~Well, dinner is sure to be interesting.~


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2-

Shigure's POV-

Shigure sighed. He had been trying for the past hour to get some work done, ANY work done. He couldn't concentrate. Not when he knew Emiko was upstairs, laughing. He could hear her and Tohru's voices drifting down the stairs. He wanted to know what was making her laugh. He wanted to see it. He needed to see her. ~Oh, this is never going to work~ he thought, heading up the stairs, ~ I'll just tell Tohru I have to go see Hatori, and stay away for tonight~

The laughter coming from Tohru's room got louder until he knocked on the door.

There was a pause in the giggles, and then, "Come in!"

Emiko's POV-

"Come in!" Tohru struggled out. They hadn't gotten much studying done. At her house, Tohru became less inhibited, and had been telling her stories about when Yuki and Kyo got in fights. The reasons were typically ridiculous.

"Tohru, I'm going to see Hatori, so don't feel like you need to make dinner for me," Shigure said with a small smile. Emiko felt an intense wave of jealousy. ~Why does she get a smile?~ she thought. As if he heard her, Shigure turned to Emiko with a radiant smile. "Please have a good time tonight, Emiko-chan."

"N-no problem, Shigure-san," Emiko stuttered out. ~Oh my god, did I just stutter?~ thought Emiko in shock, ~There is no way that made a good impression..~ Shigure's smile grew, and he gently closed the door.

Turning back to Tohru, she said, "So, I guess it's time to get some actual studying done." Looking thoughtful, Tohru nodded.

After about fifteen minutes of working, Tohru looked up, "Emiko-chan…"

"Yes," she said, glancing up from her English homework.

"I want to ask you a question, but you don't have to answer if it makes you uncomfortable," Tohru said hesitantly.

"What?" asked Emiko.

The brunette hesitated, and then asked, "D-do you like Shigure-san?"

Playing it casual, she answered, "He seemed alright."

Tohru glared at her from across the table, "You know what I mean, Emiko."

With a sigh, she answered the question, "Yes, Tohru, I like Shigure-san." Then she turned a faint pink.

Tohru went back to her work, so Emiko did the same. After a few more minutes of silence, Tohru said, "I don't think you should tell Yuki or Kyo. They wouldn't be able to keep it a secret."

Shocked, Emiko looked up, "You're going to?"

Shooting a scowl her direction, Tohru stated, "I would never tell someone something you wanted me to keep a secret."

"Thank you," Emiko said.

Shigure's POV-

Shigure pulled up in front of Hatori's apartment building and parked. With a slow, sad walk, he entered the building and hit the up button on the elevator. The doors opened and he entered, hitting the button labeled eleven. After about a minute of cheesy elevator music, the doors opened on floor eleven. As he exited the elevator, a young couple exited the apartment across from Hatori's. The girl had a huge smile on her face, and the man looked faintly smug. Swinging their clutched hands, they passed him. ~I wish that was me…~ he thought sadly. He crossed to Hatori's door and knocked.

"Coming!" Hatori's voice echoed from within. The door burst open, and Hatori stated in shock, "Shigure, what are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to see my best friend, is that a problem?" Shigure said defensively. Hatori crossed his arms over his chest.

"You only come and see me when you are either hurt, which you are not, or if you are running away from something. So what are you running away from, Shigure?"

"I'm not running away!" he denied hotly. Hatori raised one eyebrow. "Emiko. I'm running away from Emiko."

"Come inside," Hatori said, turning away and heading deeper into the apartment, "Shut the door behind you." Shigure stepped into the living room, closing the door gently. He took a couple of steps, and plopped into his favorite chair.

Hatori sat gently on the chair facing Shigure, "So, who is Emiko? And why are you running away from her? Did she find out the secret?"

"No, no, nothing like that. She is a friend of Tohru's from school. On Wednesdays they get together and study. She helps Tohru with her English in exchange for help in math. Typically, they study at her house."

"Typically? Why not today?" Hatori asked.

"Her parents are painting their apartment today. So, Tohru invited her over to our place to study. And since she didn't want to stay in the same hotel room as her parents tonight, Tohru told her that it would be fine if she stayed at the house," Shigure said.

"Why'd you run away, then? Tohru has friends over to your house all the time. In fact, I'm pretty sure that she's had Emiko over before," Hatori said, confusion in his voice, "What's the bid deal?"

"Well, I'd never met her before today, so I was totally unprepared for my reaction to her," Shigure blushed faintly and turned his head away from Hatori.

"How did you react, Shigure?" Hatori said, all amusement gone from his tone.

"I had this… well, this need. I wanted to mark her so that whenever someone looked at her they would know that she was mine. I wanted to make her and everybody else know that she would be mine for as long as either of us were alive. Hatori, people don't do that! They don't go around claiming people, and they definitely don't go around marking people for god's sake!" he exclaimed, "What's wrong with me?"

"Are you asking me as your friend, or your doctor?" Hatori questioned.

"Both," Shigure replied.

"As your friend, I'd say that you were in love. I don't believe in love at first sight, but this is what is seems to be. It's at least really strong attraction. As your doctor, I'd say that I'm not sure, but I do have a wild guess." Hatori told him.

"What's your guess?" Shigure asked, tilting his head to the side.

"Well, you are an animal from the zodiac. Dogs are descended from wolves, correct?" Hatori asked.

"Yeah, but what does that have to do with anything?" a confused Shigure asked.

"Wolves mate for life, Shigure," Hatori said.

"So?" asked Shigure.

Hatori sighed and rolled his eyes, "So maybe Emiko is your mate."

Shigure's eyes went wide, and then he burst out laughing, "That is the most ridiculous stuff I've ever heard!"

"I told you that it was a wild guess, Shigure," Hatori said, a scowl on his face.

Instantly contrite, Shigure apologized, "I'm sorry, Hatori. I'm just freaking out. I don't want to be away from Emiko."

Hatori raised an eyebrow, "So go back to your house. She's there."

"I can't. It's even worse when I can hear her. We don't know each other well enough to spend time together, and being close enough to hear her, but not a part of what she's talking about is torture." Shigure said with a sigh.

"The only way to get closer to her is to spend time with her, Shigure," Hatori said, rolling his eyes once again.

"You know, you're right!" Shigure said with a smile, "Now I just need an excuse to be around her the first time." Shigure looked at Hatori expectantly.

"Shigure, it's your house," Hatori looked at him in annoyance, "I don't care what your excuse is, but get out of here. Go home, Shigure."

"Fine, I'm going," he said, standing up. He walked to the door, and opened it. Turning back, he said, "Thanks, Hatori."

Emiko's POV-

She rolled over onto her side and looked at Tohru's clock. _11:43_ Sighing, she rolled back over. She and Tohru had come upstairs to bed at ten o' clock. This meant that Emiko had been laying here for over an hour, unable to sleep.

~That's it. I'm going downstairs. I've got a book, I'll go into the living room and read.~ thought Emiko. Slowly, she eased out of bed, and tiptoed over to her bag. Feeling around, she groped blindly in her book bag for her book. ~Ah hah!~ she thought when she found it. She grabbed the book, and eased out of the room. Then she felt her way blindly down the stairs.

When she got to the living room, she turned the lamp on, and settled into the couch. She opened her book, and quickly became immersed in the story. She jumped back to reality when she heard the front door slide open. Quickly, she set the book down and walked over to the doorway to see who was entering the house.

"Emiko-chan!" Shigure said, rounding the corner to the living room, "What are you still doing up? Don't you have school in the morning?"

She felt her cheeks turn hot, "I couldn't sleep, Shigure-san."

He smiled, "So what were you doing, Emiko-chan?"

"Reading." Emiko replied.

"What were you reading?"

"The Blue Sword. It's one of my favorite books," she said with a big smile. She loved Robin McKinley.

"Mind if I join you? I was going to read for a little bit before going to sleep myself," Shigure asked, tilting his head to the side.

~Mind? Why on Earth would I mind?~ she thought, but said, "Nope. Feel free." Then she headed back to the couch, and picked up her book. They both settled on the couch and read. The only sound in the room was the turning of pages.

Slowly, the sound of faint sniffles entered the room. Emiko felt her eyes tear up, but she kept reading. Abruptly, she felt a hand on her shoulder, shaking her.

"Emiko! What's wrong? I've been trying to get your attention for almost five minutes," said Shigure with a worried frown.

"Sorry," Emiko said, "I was reading the scene where the two main characters confess their love. It makes me cry every time."

Shigure sighed, and smiled, "Well, warn a guy next time, I almost had a heart attack."

~Next time?~ she thought excitedly, but said in a playful tone, "What, were you worried Shigure-san?"

Still looking serious, he nodded. ~He was?~ she thought, as her heart started to pound. He smiled a faint smile, leaned forward, and kissed the top of her head.

"Yes, I was worried. We were fine one minute, and the next you were crying. I had no idea what was wrong," he said, pulling back a little bit.

"You actually were worried?" Emiko said, heart pounding even harder at his proximity, and the idea that he was worried about her.

He smiled an ironic smile, "Haven't I already answered that question?"

Emiko's face turned a shade of red to rival a tomato, and Shigure leaned a little closer, "But, yes, I was."

"Why?" Emiko said, as her face turned back to pink, and she leaned a little closer herself.

"Because I like you, Emiko-chan," Shigure said, closing in again.

"I like you, too, Shigure-san," Emiko said, leaning in again. There were only about two inches in between their lips now. Slowly, they both leaned toward each other…

Clup, clup, clup. As she heard the footsteps on the stairs, Emiko jumped away from Shigure, face bright red, and quickly held her book up.

"Emiko? What are you doing down here? I woke up and you were gone," Tohru said, rubbing sleep out of her eyes.

"I couldn't sleep, so I came down here to read," Emiko mumbled.

"Well, we should go back to sleep," Tohru said.

With a sigh, she stood up, "Goodnight, Shigure-san."

"Have nice dreams, Emiko-chan," Shigure said with a wink.

Tohru and Emiko walked upstairs, and lay back down in Tohru's bed. _12:27 _

~What did he even mean, nice dreams?~ Emiko thought as she fell asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N- So I kept meaning to put an author's note in one of my chapters, but when I write them, I don't write out the note. ^_^ Silly me. So, here is my story, and I want to thank all of you for reading. This is my first ever fanfic that I have put on a site. I've been writing fanfics for me and my friends, though, for a few years now. If you find any mistakes, or have any suggestions for the story, (because, while I basically know what's going to happen, there are lots of little things I don't know) please review. This chapter is a little shorter than the others, but it is an important one. **

**Disclaimer- I do not own Fruits Basket or its characters, blah, blah, blah. We all know the drill I only own Emiko and Ryuu.**

Chapter 3-

Emiko's POV-

She sat up with a groan. She knew she had to get up so she could get ready for school, but she was still so tired. It was probably because of the extremely vivid dream she'd had where she had almost kissed Shigure. She knew it was a dream because she knew herself. There was no way that she could ever summon up the guts to tell Shigure that she liked him. The idea that she had was a little funny. Although it would make breakfast a little awkward, especially if someone asked her what she had dreamt about. Rubbing sleep out of her eyes, she gently shook Tohru, "Wake up, Tohru; we need to get ready for school."

Tohru sat up with a yawn, "Is it really time already?" She crawled out of bed, and walked over to her closet.

"Yeah," Emiko sighed.

"Okay. If you want I can go get dressed in the bathroom," Tohru offered, collecting her clothes.

"No, it'll be fine. We are both girls, after all," Emiko said. She swung her legs of the bed and walked over to her duffle bag. Rifling through it, she pulled out her uniform.

A look of confusion on her face, she turned to Tohru, "Hey, have you seen my book?"

Tohru looked thoughtful, "Um, you were reading when I came downstairs last night."

"Huh?" Emiko asked in confusion. ~Downstairs?~ she thought.

"Yeah, you said you couldn't sleep, so you went downstairs to read," Tohru said with a small smile.

~Isn't that how my dream started?~ she thought.

"Now that I think of it, I thought Shigure was going to stay out all night," Tohru said with a shrug, "You should look for your book downstairs." After buttoning the final button, Tohru left the room.

~So, it wasn't a dream...~ thought Emiko. ~We actually almost kissed?~ She felt the blood drain from her face, then rush back almost painfully fast, then drain again. ~ Oh my god. I can never look him in the eyes again...~

Quickly, she got dressed and put get pajamas in her duffle bag. ~Maybe if I'm lucky, he'll still be asleep.~ She dashed down the stairs, and into the dining room. She instantly froze.

Turning, Shigure smiled, "Good morning, Emiko-chan."

Shigure's POV-

He smiled, happy to see her. After their (almost) kiss last night, he had tried to go to sleep. After being unsuccessful for almost an hour, he had finally fallen asleep. But when he fell asleep, though, he had dreamed of her. They had been sitting on a cliff in front of the ocean. They were talking, though about what, he couldn't say. Suddenly, she laughed, and then stood. She walked to the edge, and leapt. He had woken in a cold sweat, desperate to see her and make sure she wasn't hurt, make sure that she was completely fine.

Her face, already pale this morning, turned red, then deathly white. Her eyes went wide, and, with a small squeal, ran for the kitchen.

"Wow, quite the charmer this morning, aren't we?" Kyo said sarcastically.

"As if you could do better, you idiotic cat," Yuki said with a roll of his eyes.

"What are you saying, rat!" Kyo shouted, leaping to his feet.

"I'm just saying that you, with your extremely limited people skills, wouldn't be able to do any better. In fact, you would probably do much worse," Yuki smiled an annoyed smile. He was always in a bad mood in the mornings, and Kyo had yet to figure out that when Yuki was looking for a fight, he always won.

"That's it, you stupid rat!" Kyo said, leaping across the table. Shigure quickly walked over and opened the front door. Just in time, too, because that's when Kyo went flying through it from the force of the slap that Yuki had delivered.

"Tohru, we have to leave now if we want to be on time!" Yuki shouted, walking over to the door.

"Coming!" Tohru shouted from the kitchen. As she walked to the door, she was closely followed by a blushing Emiko. ~Why won't she talk to me?~ Shigure thought. As she attempted to pass him without saying anything, he grabbed her wrist. With a gasp, she stopped walking, face going pale once again.

"What?" she asked, "I'm going to be late." She glanced around, as if looking for an escape route.

"Emiko, did I do something wrong?" Shigure asked.

Emiko's POV-

~He thinks that he did something wrong?~ Emiko thought in shock, ~How can he think that when it was me who did something wrong?~

"Of course not, Shigure-san," Emiko said, wrenching her hand out of his grasp, and bolting down the path.

She caught up with Tohru, Yuki, and Kyo, and then went through her day, all in a daze. All she could think about was the fact that Shigure thought that he had done something wrong. How he could have that impression, though, she wasn't sure. She knew that her memory of last night was a little blurry, most likely due to exhaustion, but she distinctly remembered that she told Shigure that she liked him, then attempted to kiss him. If Tohru hadn't interrupted, then she not only would have ruined her chances of being with him, but she would have made Tohru angry, which in turn would have made all of Tohru's friends, which were all of her friends, angry with her. So she was glad that Tohru had interrupted.

"Hey! Emiko-san!" yelled a slightly nasally voice.

She sighed. Apparently, she couldn't get through an entire day without having to talk to Ryuu. He had been her partner for a class project, and ever since then had been trying to convince her to go on a date with him. It wasn't that she didn't like him; it was that she thought of him as nothing but a friend.

"Hey, Ryuu," she said with a small smile.

"So, I was wondering, that is, if your, you know, free… well… do you want to go see a movie on Saturday?" he asked.

She instantly looked sad, "Ryuu, you know that I only see you as a friend."

"I... I know," Ryuu said, sounding sad, "So, does that mean no again?"

"I'm sorry, Ryuu, but I just don't see you that way."

"I understand," he said with a sigh, "but I'm going to keep trying. So if I promised to act like nothing more than your friend, would you go with me?"

She thought quickly, trying to find a suitable excuse, "Um, actually, I think that I may have plans with Tohru on Saturday."

"Oh," he said, sounding defeated. Then, he smiled, "Well, maybe next time!"

She forced a smile, "Maybe."

"See you tomorrow, Emiko-san," he said, waving and walking away.

"Bye!" she said as she ran to catch up to Tohru, "Tohru!"

Tohru turned, "Hey, Emiko!"

"If I asked you to do something with me on Saturday, would you?" she asked.

"Yeah," Tohru said enthusiastically, "What did you have in mind?"

Emiko paused, and furrowed her brow, "I didn't really have any ideas."

Tohru smiled, "Well, I have to clean the house this weekend, so how about this. You come over after school Saturday, and I'll clean. Then on Sunday, I have to go shopping. I could do my shopping at the mall, since I need new pants anyway."

Emiko smiled, "The mall it is."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N- So, when I was working on Chapter 3, I finished what I have already posted, and then couldn't decide what to do, and figured that it was a good place to end the chapter. But when I started working on Chapter 4, I just couldn't stop thinking of what happens below. And so, Chapter 3.5 was born! Sorry, you guys. And so, here are Chapters 3.5 and 4. xD**

**Disclaimer- I don't own Fruits Basket, or any of it's characters, blah, blah, blah, we all know the drill. I only own Emiko and Ryuu.**

**Also, I don't own the song used in Chapter 4, which is Faded by The Veronicas. They own the song. **

Chapter 3.5-

Shigure's POV-

Shigure's day had been fretful, and unproductive. All day, every time he tried to do something, he couldn't concentrate. His thoughts just kept returning to Emiko. Her smile, her laugh, their almost kiss, how badly he wanted to kiss her... And that was why he couldn't concentrate. He thought it would be better if he just knew when he was going to be able to see her again.

"What do you mean your friend is coming over on Saturday? Do you realize how easily she could do something to cause one if us to change?" Kyo shouted, storming into the house.

"With the same amount of ease that Tohru could," said Yuki, entering just behind Kyo.

"Yeah, but Tohru knows our secret, that's different!" Kyo shouted.

"I'm pretty sure that she doesn't want to hug any of you," Tohru said with a small frown, "If she was going to hug anyone here, it would probably be me."

"I'm pretty sure I missed something, but who, exactly, is coming over Saturday?" Shigure asked, with one eyebrow raised.

"Emiko," they all said at once, Kyo shouting, Yuki calmly, and Tohru happy and excited.

"Um, Kyo, why are you angry? She was here just yesterday, and she's been here before. What's so different this time?" Shigure asked.

"The more time she spends with us, the more likely it is that she'll figure out our secret. She already spends hours with us every day." Kyo glowered angrily.

"Oh, calm down," Yuki said, "As you said yourself, she spends hours with us every day. Don't you think that if she was going to find out about us, she would have already?"

Kyo seemed to think about it for a minute, then shouted, "Shut up, stupid rat!" Then he shoved past Tohru and ran into the forest.

Yuki sighed, "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go get started on my homework."

Tohru waited a few minutes, and then said hesitantly, "Shigure-san..."

"Yes, Tohru?" Shigure asked, curious.

"When Emiko was here, I got the feeling that you liked her. Do you?" Tohru asked.

~Damn, what do I say now? How in the would an I supposed to tell her that I like Emiko-chan?~ Shigure thought.

Tohru seemed to notice that he was struggling with what to say, "Shigure-san, if you think that I'll be mad at you, you don't have to worry. I think that it would be cute if you guys were together. Besides, I think it would be good for both of you."

With a sigh, Shigure admitted his feelings, "Yes, I do."

With a thoughtful look on her face, Tohru slowly got to her feet, "I'm going to go work on my homework, Shigure-san." Then, she walked up the stairs.

Tohru's POV-

Closing the door behind her, she crossed to her bed and sat. ~So, Emiko is into Shigure-san, and Shigure-san is into Emiko. But, knowing Emiko, she'll never make the first move, and with the way she was acting this morning, Shigure-san might be nervous about making one. So how do I get them alone together?~

Slowly, a smile spread across her face. She fell onto her back and started planning.

Chapter 4-

Emiko's POV-

Patiently, Emiko waited outside the school for Tohru, Yuki, and Kyo. She was totally ready for her and Tohru's sleepover/shopping trip. The only thing she wasn't ready for was Shigure. She knew that she would eventually need to apologize for trying to kiss him, but every time she thought about it, she just got all nervous and scared. She was kind of hoping that he wouldn't be there...

"Emiko!" Tohru shouted, followed by Kyo and Yuki, who both looked annoyed.

"Hey, what took you guys so long? I've been waiting for almost ten minutes," Emiko said playfully.

Kyo and Yuki both looked expectantly at Tohru. "Oh, um, they got in a fight," Tohru smiled awkwardly, "So, you all ready for tomorrow?"

Emiko groaned, "Yes. When I told my mom that we were going shopping, she got super excited. She keeps telling me I need new clothes," she crossed her arms, "But I don't like going shopping, and I like the clothes I have now. She loaded me down with cash, and told me that she expected me to spend all of it. Although, how she can expect anyone to spend 300,000 yen, I don't understand. So be prepared for lots of new clothes."

"Did you just say 300,000 yen?" Tohru asked in shock.

"Yeah, my mom's crazy about clothes," Emiko said with a shudder.

They walked the rest of the way in silence, until eventually Emiko and Tohru fell behind.  
"So, I have to do laundry, clean the bathroom and kitchen, and cook dinner. I guess I also have to do my homework so we can go shopping tomorrow," Tohru mumbled under her breath, thinking out loud. Emiko obviously wasn't supposed to hear, but she overheard anyway.

"Tohru, do you mind if I help? I would feel much better if I did," Emiko said, feeling slightly guilty. She was the one who had suggested they go out anyway.

"Why?" Tohru asked in confusion. ~She obviously doesn't know she said that out loud.~ Emiko thought.

"Well, you have a lot of things to do this weekend, and we'll probably be out all day tomorrow. If I help, we'll get it done twice as fast, and you won't have anything to do tomorrow except shopping," Emiko said with a smile.

"I don't know," Tohru hesitated.

"Please? I would feel a lot better about making you go shopping with me," Emiko pleaded.

"I guess so," Tohru said.

The rest of the walk to Tohru's home was in companionable silence. When they got there, they discovered a note from Shigure, saying that he had gone to visit Ayame, but hopefully would be back in time for dinner. With a small sigh, Emiko went with Tohru and they completed their homework. Afterward, they cleaned the kitchen and bathroom, and then made dinner. They went through their entire night, with happy small talk.

After dinner, Emiko and Tohru went into the kitchen, "Tohru, I'll do the dishes."

"Are you sure, Emiko?" Tohru asked, putting away the leftovers.

"Yeah, you go ahead. I'll be up to get my things to shower in about twenty minutes." Emiko said with a small smile, running water into the sink to do the dishes. Humming, Emiko quickly did the dishes, and unplugged the sink. While the water drained out, she dried her hands on a towel, and made sure that she hadn't splashed any water on the counter or sink. She put the towel down, and went upstairs to get her things to shower. When she got into Tohru's room, she saw that Tohru was asleep in bed, a book open on her chest.

With a small smile, she took the book from Tohru's hands, and put it on the bedside table. Then, she walked over to her bag, and got her pajamas and showering things, and headed for the bathroom.

Shigure's POV-

~Uh, I should never have gone to see Ayame. It's always just some new outfit, and, since I wasn't home, I'm hungry, and I missed my chance to see Emiko, since they'll be gone all day tomorrow.~ Shigure thought in aggravation. He was going to go brush his teeth, and then go to bed. Maybe if he was lucky, he would see Emiko tomorrow before they left in the morning.

As he neared the bathroom, he heard a hairdryer going, and one of the most beautiful singing voices he had ever heard.

"_I don't wanna be your little picture-perfect-pretty-girl who's got nothing to say. And I'm not gonna wait around for you to run my whole life down, I'll let you watch me fade away!" _Emiko sang.

~Was that really her singing?~ thought Shigure, ~That was beautiful…~

"_You try to fit, to fit me in a perfect box. You let me slip between the cracks. Now I've faded, into someone else, made me someone I don't wanna be. Yeah, I'm faded, my true color's gone, like a picture nobody sees. Now, I've faded, like I never was, till I don't even know myself. Yeah, I'm faded, into what you want, but I'm not taking it too well." _she continued. The hairdryer turned off, and the door to the bathroom creaked open.

She was still humming until she noticed Shigure standing so close to the bathroom, then shrieked, "Shigure-san! How… how long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough to know you have a beautiful singing voice, Emiko-chan," he said with a smile.

Her cheeks turned faintly pink, and she smiled a faint smile, "Thank you, Shigure-san." Still smiling, she said, "If you're hungry, your dinner's in the kitchen." Then she walked toward the stairs.

Grabbing her wrist gently to stop her, "Are you still mad at me, Emiko-chan?"

Her expression grew puzzled, "I was never angry at you, Shigure-san." Then she pulled away, and walked up the stairs.

The next morning-

Emiko's POV-

Groggy, Emiko sat up, "Tohru, wake up. We need to get ready to go shopping." She swung her legs over the edge of the bed, and started pulling on her clothes. She pulled her white thigh high socks on, followed by her short plaid skirt. She put on a pale pink camisole, and an off-the-shoulder Three Days Grace t-shirt. Turning back to the bed, where Tohru hadn't moved, she said, "Come on, Tohru, you need to get up."

Tohru groaned, and opened her eyes blearily, "I… I don't feel well, Emiko-chan."

Emiko's eyes widened, "How bad do you feel? Do you want me to stay with you, or just go home?"

Tohru shook her head, "I should be fine by tomorrow. You should still go shopping. You don't want to disappoint your mom, do you?"

Emiko frowned, and started braiding her curls to the side, "But I really wanted a second opinion on what I bought."

"Why don't you ask Shigure-san if he'll go with you? He may not look like it, but he's got quite an eye for what looks good on people." Tohru said.

"Are you sure? Do you want me to wait until you can go with me?" Emiko asked, "I'm sure my mom would understand."

"No, no, go. Have a good time for me, okay?' Tohru pleaded.

Finishing her braid, Emiko smiled faintly, "Alright, I'll go ask Shigure-san if he'll go. But if he says no, then I'm going to stay with you until you get better, okay?"

With a small smile, Tohru said, "Alright."

Emiko left the room quietly, and walked down the stairs. When she got to the living room, she saw Shigure, "Shigure-san, can I ask a favor?"

Shigure turned to her with a radiant smile, "Of course you can, Emiko-chan, what do you need?"

"Tohru isn't feeling that well, and I need someone to give me a second opinion about the clothes I have to buy today. Tohru said I should ask you to go with me. Will you?" Emiko asked quickly, mentally preparing herself for his rejection.

"Sure, Emiko-chan, just let me go change into something more appropriate," Shigure said leaving the room. Emiko waited for almost ten minutes before Shigure returned to the living room. He was wearing dark jeans, and a The Who t-shirt. They went over and put their shoes on, her a pair of black, lacey, flats, and him a pair of black Chuck Taylor's.

Then they left.

Tohru's POV-

As soon as she heard the door shut, Tohru got out of bed and looked out her window. She saw them walk to Shigure's car, and get in. Then they drove away.

~Good luck, you guys,~ thought Tohru, miraculously recovered from her illness, ~Have a good time!~ With that thought, she went downstairs to cook breakfast for Yuki and Kyo.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N- Sorryy that it took so long to finish this chapter! I've been really busy getting ready for a family reunion, and haven't found much useful time to write. But it's here, and it's longer then the other chapters. Good for you! The next chapter will be a while, because I'll be gone at least four days, and won't have any chance to work on Chapter 6. **

**So, Emiko visits a store in this chapter called Hot Topic. This is one of my favorite stores, and is exactly the kind of place that Emiko would shop. The only problem is, Hot Topic is a chain of stores in America, with its only international stores in Canada. So, it's imagination time.**

**Disclaimer- I don't own Fruits Basket, or any of it's characters, blah, blah, blah, we all know the drill. I only own Emiko and Ryuu.**

**And now a bunch of nameless sales people…**

Chapter 5-

Emiko's POV-

Emiko and Shigure both walked slowly out to his car.

"Shigure-san? Where do you want me to put my bag?" Emiko asked.

He went to the back and unlocked the trunk. "We'll put your things in here. Hopefully all the things you buy will fit," he said with a playful smile.

She put her bag in the trunk with a laugh, "I hope so, too!"

Shigure got a weird look on his face as he shut the trunk and moved over to the driver-side door. "Shigure-san? Are you okay?" Emiko asked as she slid into the passenger seat.

"Hmm, oh, yeah, I'm fine." he said, as a grin grew on his face.

"Okay then," Emiko said skeptically.

Shigure started the car, and they drove for a few minutes before threw silence became uncomfortable.

"So, Shigure-san, I'm not exactly sure where to go, I've only lived here for a little while, you know. Where do you think we should go?" Emiko asked.

Still driving, he looked over at her, and a smile slowly spread across his face, "I know just the place."

Curiosity piqued, she tilted her head to the side, "Where?"

He smiled, and raised a finger to his lips, "Nope. It's a surprise."

She struggled to contain a laugh, and then made the puppy face, "Please tell me, Shigure-san."

Shigure chuckled, "Nope, not telling."

"Fine," she said, pretending, to be pouty. But she was smiling.

"Are you angry with me?" Shigure asked playfully.

"Yes," Emiko said in false annoyance. "Aww, come on, you know you'll appreciate the fact that it's a surprise once we get there," he joked.

"No I won't," he raised an eyebrow, "I hate surprises," she struggled not to laugh.

"Please forgive me!" he begged jokingly.

"No," she said. Then the giggles burst out. She laughed so hard tears started running down her face.

Shigure glanced over at her, and started laughing himself, "Does this mean I'm forgiven?"

Still laughing, she struggled out, "Yes."

Shigure smiled at her, "That's good, because we're here."

Forcing her laughter into submission, she asked, "Really?"

"Yes, really," he said, walking around the car and opening her door for her.

"Thank you," she said, getting out of the car. She turned and looked at the store. Her face lit up with excitement, "Hot Topic! But I thought they hadn't expanded to Japan yet."

"The store only opened recently. I didn't know you'd ever spouted at a Hot Topic before," Shigure said, faint sadness on his face.

"Yeah, they're all over the US. Hot Topic is probably my favorite store," she said with a smile. The sadness left his expression, to be replaced with a smile. ~I wonder what he was sad about.~

They went into the store in companionable silence. Slowly, they browsed through the store, picking things up for her to try on. Skirts, shirts, pants, sweaters, dresses, she picked up tons.

Soon, they were browsing through band shirts, and Shigure held one up, "What do you think, Emiko-Chan?" Looking at the shirt, she stated, "I don't know who Depeche Mode is, Shigure-san."

The shirt dropped to the floor as the hanger slipped through his fingers, "What do you mean, you don't know who Depeche Mode is?"

She looked at Shigure, "I've never heard of them. Are they any good?"

"Okay, here's how we will solve this. You will try on the shirt, just like all the other clothes you've picked up," Emiko got a scandalized look on her face, "Yes, Emiko, I know that you don't wear shirts for bands you don't know. I will keep the shirt until you have listened to them enough that you feel comfortable wearing it. Deal?" Shigure stuck out his hand.

"Do you really think I'll like them?" Emiko said, hesitating to stick out her hand.

"I really think you will, Emiko-chan," he said. Emiko took his hand and shook it. At the same moment, Shigure smiled.

Emiko felt her cheeks turn pink, so, grabbing all the clothes she needed to try on, including the shirt, she said, "I'm ready to go try these on, Shigure-san." Then, she bolted for the dressing rooms.

After locking the door, Emiko sat on the bench, ~I'm such a fool. All he did was shake my hand. So, why is my heart pounding?~ With a shake of her head, Emiko stood up to start putting on the clothes.

Shigure's POV-

It had been almost ten minutes since Emiko had gone into the dressing room, and Shigure was starting to get a little worried. He stood up from the bench outside the dressing rooms, walked over to the room Emiko was in, and knocked, "Are you okay in there? You're not drowning in those clothes, are you?"

"I'll be out in just a minute!" came a muffled shout. A minute later, Emiko emerged from the room, tugging on the hem of the dress she had on. The strapless dress came to mid-thigh. It was black, with purple edges, and a purple sash. It had white skulls and crossbones, and in one corner there was a heart with another skull in it.

"What do you think, Shigure-san?" Emiko asked with a smile.

~I think that dress isn't fair...~ Shigure thought, heart pounding, "It looks good."

Emiko smiled, and then went back into the changing room. About five minutes later, she came back out. She was wearing a pair of dark skinny jeans that showed her legs off to perfection, and an off-the-shoulder t-shirt, that said, 'I'm not with stupid anymore'.

"This one?" she asked.

"Good," he replied.

They went through outfit after outfit, most of them getting a yes from Shigure. At the end of the pile, Emiko came out with all the rejects so she could hang them on the rack, "Would you mind going and getting all the ones we're getting, Shigure-san?"

"No problem," he said. He turned and entered the dressing room, exciting with them about half of them, "I can't carry them all, but this is what I could carry. I'll go bring these to the counter, then go get the car."

"Sounds like a plan," she replied, entering the dressing rooms.

He carried the clothes that Emiko was going to purchase up to the counter, "The girl I'm with will be bringing the rest up in just a moment." As if proving his point, Emiko walked up with the rest of the clothes, and a smile. "I'm going to go get the car, alright?"

"Sure," she said with a smile, "See you in a few minutes."

Giving her a smile, he walked away, with a surprising amount of pain in his heart.

Emiko's POV-

"You know, your boyfriend is a really nice guy. I know my boyfriend won't go shopping with me," the girl running the check out counter said.

"Oh no, he's not my boyfriend," Emiko said, "He's just doing me the favor of being my second opinion. I'm still a little confused that he wanted to come today."

The girl looked a little shocked, "Really? I thought for sure that he was. You guys just seemed really close."

"No, we're not dating," she said with a small smile.

"Okay, then," the girl said, ringing up Emiko's purchases.

When she was done, Emiko paid, and carried her purchases outside. Shigure was waiting outside with the car. Shigure smiled, and unlocked the trunk, "That's a lot of bags, Emiko-chan,"

"Yes it is, Shigure-san," Emiko said, putting her bags into the trunk, where they barely fit. She looked at her watch. _11:28 _"Care for an early lunch, Shigure-san?"

"I could go for lunch. Shopping is far more exhausting then I thought it was," he said, causing Emiko to laugh, and locking the trunk and car, "I know a really good sushi place. We could walk there in less then ten minutes."

"Okay, then," she said, starting to walk in the direction of the restaurant. They walked for a few minutes, both thinking about the clothes she had just bought. ~Maybe now would be a good time to apologize for trying to kiss him?~

"Umm, Shigure-san?" she said.

He turned and looked at her questioningly, "Is something wrong, Emiko-chan?"

She bit her lip, "I'm sorry… about the other day… Shigure-san."

There was a pause in their conversation, and then Shigure said, "I don't know what you're talking about, Emiko-chan."

She felt her face turn bright pink, "When I tried to kiss you, Shigure-san."

Shigure stared at her in shock, "What do you mean, you're sorry? I started it."

Smiling sadly, she turned to look at him, "Shigure-san, you don't have to say that to be nice. I know that I told you I liked you, and then tried to kiss you."

"You only told me that you liked me after I told you that I liked you, Emiko-chan," Shigure said.

Emiko opened her mouth to deny what he had said, then closed it in thought. A few seconds later, she said, "Are you sure, Shigure-san?" ~If that's true, then I don't have any reason to feel guilty, and can just enjoy today.~

Shigure smiled, "Yes, Emiko-chan, I'm sure."

Emiko felt a relieved smile spread across her face. "So, does that mean you forgive me?" she asked playfully.

Still smiling, "There's nothing to forgive."

They walked in silence for a few minutes, and were almost to the restaurant, when Shigure stopped walking. "Emiko-chan, come look at this dress."

Turning around, and taking a couple of steps backwards, she looked at the dress. The, obviously silk, dress had a sweetheart neckline and no straps. It was a pale gold color, with a beautiful dark green sash. It was adorably clingy on the top, but the bottom half was slightly poofy. The dress would come to just about her knees.

"It's really pretty, Shigure-san, but where would I ever wear something like that?" Emiko said, a wistful smile on her face.

Shigure smiled. "Who says you need a reason to try it on? Come on," he winked, then pulled her inside, and looked around for a sales person. Once he spotted one, he walked over to them, still tugging her along with him, "Excuse me, my friend would like to try on the dress in the window."

The slightly annoyed sales representative walked over to the window, and took the dress off the mannequin. Walking back, the harried man said, "When you're done trying this on, if you don't wish to buy it, please find me so I can put it back." The man handed the dress to Shigure and walked away.

Shigure turned to her with a smile, and handed her the dress, "Go try it on, Emiko-chan."

Emiko smiled and rolled her eyes, "Fine, fine, I'm going." She walked to the dressing rooms, and entered the first empty one. Quickly, she removed her clothes, and slid into the dress. Reaching behind her, she pulled the zipper up, until she no longer could. Turning so her back was to the mirror, she looked at how much more needed to be zipped. With a sigh, she unlocked the door, and stuck her head out, "Shigure-san?"

Shigure stood up from the chair he was sitting on, "Are you ready?"

Emiko stepped out, and turned so her back was to him, "Could you zip me up?"

"Sure," Emiko heard, before feeling Shigure's warm hands slowly slide the zipper up her back. Once the zipper was at the top, she felt his hands hesitate before leaving her spine, "There you go."

Emiko turned, "So how do I look?" Her answer was written all over his face. For the first time today, she knew that he loved the way she looked. For the first time today, she wanted him to see her in this dress again. And for the first time today, she didn't feel like a socially awkward outcast, a child. She felt like a woman.

Shigure swallowed, "You look… great, Emiko-chan."

She looked at the price tag. She could buy it. "I'm going to get it." Then she turned and walked back into the dressing room, changed back to her clothes, and walked back out. Shigure smiled at her, and then they went and paid for the beautiful dress.

Once back on the street, they walked the last block to the restaurant. They were quickly seated, and placed their orders. At the table next to them, an older couple paid and stood up to leave.

The woman looked at Shigure, and then turned to Emiko, "He's a keeper, honey." She winked and left. Shigure and Emiko shared a shocked, yet amused look, and burst out laughing. They quickly stopped laughing when everyone around them started looking at them funnily, but they couldn't control their smiles.

Turning thoughtful, Emiko looked out the window, "You know, the girl at the counter at Hot Topic thought we were a couple, too."

Shigure looked at her with a funny expression, "She did?"

"Yes," Emiko said at the exact same moment that a slightly nasally voice called from the other end of the restaurant, "Hey, Emiko!"

Emiko felt her face go pale as she turned to look at Ryuu crossing the restaurant to her. Ryuu looked at her, with a smile.

"Hi, Ryuu," she said with a forced smile.

"I didn't expect to see you here. What are you doing?" he looked around and noticed Shigure. His hurt eyes turned back to Emiko, and said in a politely friendly voice, "I'm so sorry. I can see I'm interrupting." He turned and walked away.

She put her head down on the table. ~Why do I feel so guilty? It's not like we're dating… But I still feel so bad…~

She felt Shigure's hand on her shoulder, and he said in a gentle voice, "Are you okay, Miko-chan?"

She looked up to tell him she was fine, but once she saw him, she felt her guilt triple. "Can you take me home, Shigure-san?"

He nodded, and flagged a waitress. He paid for the meal, and they walked back to the car.

Shigure's POV-

He glanced over at Emiko, and wondered what about the boy who had talked to her at the restaurant had made her so sad, "Miko-chan, we're here."

Emiko looked up, and smiled faintly, "Thank you for driving me home, Shigure-san." She got out of the car and walked to the trunk. Shigure walked to the back and unlocked it. She got all of her bags, and Shigure walked her into the building, and to her apartment door, which was on the first floor.

At the door, he said, "I had a good time today, Miko-chan. If you ever need a shopping partner again, I'd be happy to go with you."

She smiled sadly, "With all of these, I doubt that I'll be going shopping anytime soon." She slowly and carefully set down her bags, and got out her key. After unlocking the door, she looked at him, smiled, and turned to go into the apartment.

~She can't go yet!~ a small part of Shigure screamed. The rest of him agreed, causing him to say the first thing that came to mind, "What, no goodbye kiss?"

Emiko's head snapped back to look at him, and her sad expression had turned partially happy, partially shocked, and partially playful.

"Is that why you walked me to the door?" she asked playfully.

"I walked you to the door because I wanted to," Shigure said truthfully.

For a second, her face showed pure happiness, "Then, I guess after all you did today, you disserve a goodbye kiss."

Swallowing, Shigure leaned in at the same time as Emiko. Their lips were getting closer, closer, closer until there was she gave a sharp gasp, and fell against him. Looking down as they fell, he saw that her foot had tangled in the shopping bags as she had taken a step closer to kiss him. If the situation hadn't been so serious, he would have found it hilarious.

Shigure had only one thought as they landed, chest pressed to chest, ~Oh, shit…~


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N- Yay! I finished before my deadline! Once again, I'm sorry that it's been so long since I've updated, but here's the new chapter. It's a kind of transition chapter, because Shigure and Emiko's relationship is going to change very soon. ;) **

**So for anyone that didn't read my letter-type-thing, Kimberly is introduced this chapter, and she and Emiko have a very unique kind of relationship. It's modeled off of the way me, my family, and my friends treat each other. Sorry if I offend anyone, that's just the way the character is. **

**I also want to say again, that I love you all, and appreciate every single reader. With that being said, here you go, Chapter 6!**

**Disclaimer- I don't own Fruits Basket, or any of it's characters, blah, blah, blah, we all know the drill. I only own Emiko, Ryuu, and Kimberly.**

**I also don't own the song used in this chapter for Emiko's ringtone. The song is Tonight I Know by Chester See, and he's the one that owns it. **

Chapter 6-

Emiko's POV-

Emiko felt her and Shigure hit the ground with a semi-painful thud. ~Oh wow, way to go, Emiko. That was _definitely_ the most attractive thing you've ever done. Geez, facepalm,~ she thought to herself.

"Are you okay, Miko-chan?" she heard from a slightly muffled Shigure. Realizing that she was laying on him, practically hugging him, and definitely crushing him, she scrambled off of him, and to his side.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Shigure-san. Are _you_ okay?" Emiko said, a faint blush coloring her cheeks, and a slight smile on her lips.

He gave her a sad, and partially grim smile, "Yes, I'm fine."

Confused by his sadness, Emiko felt her happiness about having spent the day with him, and her pleased embarrassment about the fact that they were going to kiss melt away, among with her smile.

She blinked a few times, and then stood up, "Thank you for coming with me today, Shigure-san." She forced a smile, hoping it would alleviate the slightly chilly mood that she didn't know how to fix.

She knew deep down that he was pulling away from get for some reason that she couldn't fathom. She knew that hadn't known each other long, but it made her extremely lonely.

"It was no trouble, Emiko-san," Shigure said, and Emiko felt her heart crack, felt it shatter into thousands of pieces.

She saw Shigure's hand reach out, heading for her face, yet he hesitated. Instead, his hand patted her shoulder, "Goodbye, Emiko-san." And somehow she knew he didn't mean for now, he meant forever.

As he walked away, she felt what remained of get heart break even more, and the tears well up. ~No, you can't cry yet. You just have to get past Mom, then you can cry. ~

Quickly, she picked up her shopping bags, and opened the door.

"Mom, I'm home!" Emiko shouted, closing the door behind her with her foot, falsely cheerful.

Her mom rounded the corner from the kitchen, a large smile on her face.

Her mother was beautiful. She had gorgeous blonde curls that reached her shoulder blades, and the same large green eyes Emiko did. Her mother was five foot eleven (around 180 centimeters, for those of you who use the metric system :3). She was slim, and her skin was a gorgeous golden color, with freckles a slightly tanner color. Her mother and her half-sister used to model. Her father had worked for their agency, and eventually married her mother, along with starting his own agency.  
She had inherited her Mother's eyes, freckles, and curls. She had gotten her height from get father, along with get pale skin, and black hair.

"How was your shopping trip, honey? Did it go well?" her mother asked, kissing her forehead, and giving her a gentle hug.

"Oh, it was fine," Emiko said, still forcing cheer. Her mom looked at her, concern etched on her face.

"Do you want to model your new clothes for me?" her mom asked.

She have get mother a smile, "No, I'm worn out. I just want to go take a nap, and maybe call Kimberly."

"Okay, honey. I'll wake you for dinner," she said.

Emiko carried her things to her room, and dropped them the moment she crossed the threshold. Closing the door, Emiko finally let the tears run down her face.

Shigure's POV-

Once again, Shigure stood outside Hatori's building, wishing he didn't need the advice he was here for. Before he gave up, he quickly walked inside and entered the elevator. ~How could I do that? How could I let her hug me? She acted do nice about it all, but how? I'm an Animal!~

*Ding!* went the elevator.

Slowly, Shigure walked to Hatori's door, and knocked.

"Hello?" Hatori said, opening the door, "Oh, Shigure, it's you. Come on in." Shigure made his way inside, and sat slowly down in his favorite chair. "So what's wrong this time, Shigure?"

"I don't know how I'll ever face her again…" Shigure said.

"What are you talking about?" Hatori asked in confusion.

"Do you remember Emiko? The girl I told you about?" Shigure asked.

"Yes," Hatori replied.

"Well, today she and Tohru were supposed to go shopping, but Tohru wasn't feeling well. So, Emiko asked me to go with her. And since she asked me for a favor, I couldn't say no to her," Shigure recounted.

"Uh huh. What does that have to do with avoiding her?" Hatori asked.

"At the end of the shopping trip, I drove her home, and walked her to the door. Once we got to the door, we were going to kiss, but she tripped, and she… she…" Shigure slowly just stopped, and pushed his face into his hands.

"She what, Shigure," Hatori said.

"She… she tripped, and s-since we w-were so c-close, w-when s-s-she landed, she was o-o-on m-m-me. She didn't mean to hug me. That wasn't what she was trying to do. I-I don't w-want her to lose her memories," as he told Hatori what happened, he started crying.

"If she saw your Zodiac form, Akito will most likely order me to erase her memories. And if I'm ordered to erase them, I will, Shigure, and you know it," Hatori said.

"I know that, Hatori. That doesn't mean I have to like it," Shigure said, face still not leaving his hands.

"How did she react?" Hatori asked, "Maybe we can convince Akito that we don't need to erase them."

Shigure thought long and hard, ~How did she react? She didn't want to touch me afterwards, that's for sure. But other then that… wait a minute….~

"H-H-H-Hat-t-tori…" Shigure said, slowly raising his tear-streaked face from his hands in shock.

Hatori winced in sympathy, "Was it really that bad, Shigure?"

"N-n-n-no, that's what I'm trying to tell you… I-I didn't change," Shigure stuttered.

Hatori's eyes widened, and asked in shock, "Y-you didn't change when she hugged you?"

"N-no. I didn't change. I didn't change when she hugged me," Shigure said, a goofy smile slowly growing on his face.

"Why? Are you sure Emiko's a—" Hatori started before being interrupted by Shigure.

"Yes, Hatori, I'm sure that Emiko is a girl!"

"Alright, alright, I was just checking," Hatori said.

"Why, do you think?" Shigure asked.

"I'm not sure. But I think that we're going to have to look at the Curse again, Shigure."

Emiko's POV-

She had cried for about an hour, and then laid in bed for about another half hour. Slowly, she sat up, and picked up her cell phone. She dialed her cousin's phone number, and held the phone to her ear.

After five rings, Emiko heard this, "Hey! You've reached Kim! I'm busy right now, but if you want me to call you back, tell me what's up, and I will. Talk to you soon!"

With an internal sigh, Emiko started, "Hey, Kim. It's your cousin Emiko. I'll be home for the rest of the day, so whenever you get this, call me, alright? I really need to talk to you. Bye."

She put the phone back in its cradle, and lay back down. ~What did I do wrong? Why did he become so distant? Did he _actually _want to kiss me? Was he just joking, and then I ruined it by trying to kiss him? Why? What happened?~

She kept lying on the bed, but rolled toward the phone.

_*I was scared and unaware of what your touch might do. I tried to hide it, couldn't fight it, I was falling for you.*_ Emiko's phone rang. She picked it up, still ringing. *_But I lose control and I don't know if I can do this. Because every time I'm near you- Well, I just feel so helpless.*_ She looked at the phone, and saw a picture of her cousin Kim. Quickly, she opened the phone, "Hello?"

"Hey, how's it going, bitch? What do you need?" Kim's voice echoed through the phone.

"Kim, how many times do I have to ask you not to call me that?" Emiko asked, rolling her eyes, a small smile on her face.

"The exact same amount of times that I have to tell you that I mean it in the most loving of ways, bitch," Kim said, "So? What do you need?"

"I was hoping you could help me… I'm having guy trouble…" Emiko said.

"Guy trouble? What kind of guy trouble?" Kim asked, her curiosity struggling through her voice.

Emiko told her cousin Kim everything, from the moment she met Shigure, to the moment she came inside, cried, and then called her. Every single detail about her and Shigure. She gave her every single detail about every single moment that she remembered.

"So he ran away?" Kim asked.

"Yeah," Emiko sighed, "Why did he do that?"

"This is what I think. I think that he likes you. And that when he tried to kiss you, but when you tripped," she snickered, "then landed on him; something in that situation caused him to be ridiculously embarrassed. And since he wasn't ready to deal with whatever it was, he ran away."

"That's it?" Emiko asked.

"That's it," Kim said. You could practically hear her smile through the phone.

"Thanks, Kim," she said, relief running through her veins.

"Oh, hey, has your mom told you yet?" Kim asked.

Emiko snickered, "Told me what, Kim."

Kim laughed, "It's only a couple of weeks from Spring Break at my college. Your mom said it would be okay if I came and visited you guys."

She grinned excitedly, "You're coming to visit?"

"That's what I just said, isn't it, bitch," Kim said.

"Yeah, you did," Emiko laughed.

"So is that everything you needed, Emiko?" Kim asked.

"Yeah, that's it," Emiko replied.

"Okay, I'll see you in a couple weeks, bitch."

"Bye, Kimberly."

"Bye. I suggest you go talk to him."

"I will." Emiko hung up the phone, and put it back in its cradle. She yawned and looked at her clock. _6:34_

"Tomorrow."


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N- It's 12:04. So close to posting on Friday. Well here's the new chapter. ^_^ Hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer- I don't own Fruits Basket, or any of it's characters, blah, blah, blah, we all know the drill. I only own Emiko, Ryuu, and Kimberly.**

Chapter 7-

Emiko's POV-

Emiko sat, staring out the window in her classroom, waiting for the school day to be over. She had called Tohru after talking to Kimberly, and asked her when she thought was the best time to talk to Shigure...

_~Yesterday~_

"So, what do you think, Tohru? When should I talk to him?" Emiko asked.

"I'm not sure, Emiko. You probably won't want to talk to him with Kyo and Yuki around, and the three of them hardly leave the house..." Tohru replied.

"I'm not sure either. Next time I see him alone, though, I'm going to tell him," Emiko said, "Well, if you think of anything, tell me, okay?"

"Sure!" Tohru enthused. 

She was so nervous about talking to Shigure that she couldn't concentrate on anything except the butterflies in her stomach.

The ending bell rang, and Emiko quickly gathered her things.

Just a few minutes later, Emiko was outside, walking towards the grocery store, searching through her bag for the list her mother had given her.

"Emiko-chan!" Tohru shouted, "Wait up!"

With a smile, Emiko stopped, and waited for Tohru, "Hey! What's up? Did you think of something?"

Tohru smiled, "No, but I don't have to work today, and I was wondering if you wanted to hang out?"

Emiko frowned, "I wish I could, but I have to go grocery shopping today. I'm sorry. Maybe next time?" Emiko kept searching through her bag, "Ah ha! Found it!"

Tohru smiled a small smile, "Okay, Emiko-chan. See you tomorrow!"

"Bye, Tohru-chan!" Emiko looked down at the list, and sighed, ~This is going to take all day. Well, I better get started if I want to get all of this..."

Tohru's POV-

"We're home, Shigure-san!" Tohru shouted.

"Ah, Tohru, I'm glad your home! Are those two idiots with you?" Shigure replied from within his office.

"Hey! We're not idiots!" Kyo shouted.

"At least I'm not," Yuki said, calmly taking off his shoes.

"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY, YOU STUPID RAT!" Kyo shouted in extreme anger.

"I believe I just implied that you are an idiot. If you can't figure that out, then maybe idiot isn't a strong enough word," Yuki said.

"You wanna go, you stupid rat?" Kyo asked angrily.

"Guys, if you're going to fight, please do it outside," Tohru said with a smile.

Kyo and Yuki stared at her, eyes wide, for a minute. Then, with a smile and a nod, Yuki kicked Kyo through the still open door.

With a sigh, Tohru turned back to the house, and walked toward Shigure's study, "Did you need something, Shigure-san?"

"Um, I wanted to ask you something. I... I've got this friend... and he likes this girl," Shigure started.

Tohru smiled a little bit, "Uh huh."

"But when he saw her last, he... well, he did something stupid. And he's scared that he may have ruined whatever chances he has with Emi- this girl. What should he do?" Shigure asked.

Still smiling, Tohru said, "I think your _friend_ should go talk to this girl. I think he should tell her how he feels. I'm going to go make dinner."

~So, Shigure-san is ready to tell Emiko-chan how he feels... and Emiko-chan says she's going to tell him more about her feelings. But how do I get them together? My plan about them shopping didn't work. What now, Tohru? What am I going to do now?~ she thought as she walked around making dinner, ~Okay, now I need to start dessert. Cake? Yes, I'll make cake. Let's see, I'm going to need eggs.~

She walked to the fridge, and opened it. ~We're out of eggs. Okay, Tohru, you can do this. Who am I going to leave in charge of dinner while I go get eggs? Not Yuki. He can't cook. Kyo? No, he'll fight with Yuki and forget about dinner. Shigure? No, his cooking is even worse then Yuki's. Which means I'll have to stay, and send someone else to the store. But who? Wait a minute... Emiko-chan...~ Tohru grinned.

"Shigure-san! Can you come in here for a minute?" Tohru shouted, a broad smile on her face.

"Sure!" Shigure yelled. Tohru heard his footsteps, and then he entered the kitchen, "What do you need?"

"We're out of eggs. Can you go to the store and get some? I would go, but I can't leave dinner," Tohru asked.

"Can't you have Kyo...? Oh. I see. Yeah, I'll go. You just need eggs, right?" Shigure replied.

"Right!"

Emiko's POV-

~Okay, I think that's everything. Oh, wait, I still need eggs.~

Emiko walked toward the refrigerated section, ~I need to talk to Gure-san, but I don't know how to get a hold of him. Oh god, why is my life so difficult? Why did I fall for someone like Gure-san?~ Emiko rounded the corner, and felt her eyes go wide.

"S-Shigure-san?" Emiko stuttered.

Shigure turned around, "Oh, Emiko-chan, what are you doing here?"

Emiko felt her heart start to pound, and her face heat up, "Um, going grocery shopping. What are you doing here?"

He smiled, "Same. Getting eggs for Tohru-chan."

Emiko smiled a little, jealous smile, "That's nice of you."

~Come on, Emiko, you can do this. You can tell him how you feel. Not the vague answer of before, but a real confession. You can do it.~

"So, umm, Shigure-san? Can I talk to you for a minute?" Emiko asked, blushing.

Shigure nodded, "I need to talk to you, too. We'll pay, and I'll walk you home."

In silence, they paid for their things, and started to walk to Emiko's house. For five minutes, they walked in silence.

"Shigure-san—" Emiko started.

"Emiko-chan—" Shigure started at the same moment, "Ladies first."

~Oh, me first.~ Emiko thought, "W-Why did you run away? I thought I had done something wrong…" ~That's not how I meant to start… Damn it…~

"No. You didn't do anything wrong, Miko-chan. Most of the time, when girls hug me… they don't like it. And they run away. I... I couldn't stand to watch you run away from me, so I went first. I was wrong, Miko-chan, and I'm sorry," Shigure said.

"Oh. I… I really like you, Shigure-san. More then I've ever liked anyone before. F-from the moment I met you, I-I've felt… drawn to you. And when we're not around each other, I feel sad, and lonely. No matter how many people I'm around, if you're not there, I feel like I left a part of me behind," Emiko blushed.

"I-I feel the same way, Miko-chan. That's a pretty accurate description of how I've felt since I've met you. Except, whenever you're not around, not only am I sad and lonely, but I spend the whole time worrying about you. I'm scared that you'll be hurt, and I won't be around to protect you. I-it really scares me, Miko-chan." Shigure said.

"R-really, Shigure-san?" Emiko asked, eyes wide. ~H-he… feels the same way?~

"Y-yeah," Shigure replied, red staining his cheeks. ~Is he blushing!~

"O-oh," Emiko said. They walked for another few minutes in silence, then turned the corner, and saw her house. "Um, there's my house, Shigure-san."

"Yeah. It looks different in the dark," Shigure noted. They walked inside, and Shigure walked her to her door.

"G-good night, Shigure-san," Emiko said, blushing.

"Miko-chan?" Shigure said.

She looked up into his eyes, feeling her blush get stronger, "Y-yes, Shigure-san?"

He smiled, "First, I think we're past 'Shigure-san'. Second, I think you owe me a kiss, Miko-chan. Don't you agree?"

She felt the butterflies return in full force, "I-I think that you're right, G-Gure-san."

Shigure smiled, "Good."

Slowly, he leaned down, and pressed his lips to hers. Emiko closed her eyes, and felt herself grab his shoulders, standing on the tips of her toes, trying to get her lips closer to his. Slowly, her arms wrapped around his neck, while she felt his arms wrap around her waist. She had never been kissed before, and she wasn't quite sure what to do, but she was willing to try. Shigure was the only person she had ever met who made her feel like this. She felt like she could fly, like she was floating. She never wanted to stop kissing him.

Slowly, reluctantly, she pulled away, opening her eyes. He opened his, and asked quietly, "Is something wrong?"

She smiled, still blushing, "My mom is inside right now. And she has really good hearing."

Shigure smiled, "Ah. I'll see you soon, alright?"

She giggled, then leaned upward, and gave him a chaste peck on the cheek, "Alright."

He walked away, and she smiled, and then went inside, "Here, Mom, I got all of the things on your list."

Her mom looked at her funnily, and then smiled a knowing smile, "Alright."

"I'm going to go to my room."

"Okay, sweetie."

Emiko walked to her room, and shut the door behind her. She smiled a huge smile, and flopped down on her bed, lightly touching her lips.

~Wow… my first kiss… it was even better then I thought it would be…~


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N- This chapter is shorter than the others. Sorry! Originally, this chapter included the sort of date mentioned in the chapter, but the chapter was getting to long, and I decided to just make the date, and what happens after into a separate chapter. **

**I realized that there has been a lot less of Shigure's POV, which should change soon.**

**Disclaimer- I don't own Fruits Basket or any of its characters, blah, blah, blah. I only own Emiko, Ryuu, and Kimberly. **

Chapter 8-

Emiko slowly walked toward her home, planning what order she would do her homework in. It had been almost a week since Shigure had kissed her. In fact, it had been six days and eighteen hours, not that she was counting. She hadn't seen him since then, and she really missed him.

"Emiko-chan, this is from Shigure-san," Tohru said holding out a note.

Emiko took the note with a snicker, one eyebrow raised, "Does he think we're in the fifth grade?"

Tohru laughed a little, "What if it has one of those check yes, check no things?"

Emiko and Tohru laughed for a little bit, and then Emiko opened the note.

Miko-chan-

Meet me in the park by your house at sunset. I need to see you.

Can't wait to see you,  
Shigure.

P.S. I know that you're not in the fifth grade. Don't tell Tohru, she might let it slip where we'll be, and I don't want Yuki or Kyo following us.

Emiko giggled. ~I didn't know he would do things like that. It's really... cute... Wait, how did he know I would say that? About being in the fifth grade...?~

"So? What does it say?" Tohru asked, trying to read it over Emiko's shoulder.

Emiko clutched the note to her chest, "Oh, it's a... poem." She felt kind of bad about lying to her, though.

"Can I read it?" Tohru asked enthusiastically.

"N-no!" Emiko stuttered out. Tohru got a hurt look on her face, and Emiko said, "It's private."

Tohru nodded, and they walked about a block in silence."What are your plans for vacation?" Tohru asked, "Maybe we can hang out."

"I would love to! Let's see, my cousin is flying in next Wednesday. We'll probably want to study somewhere other than my house," Emiko started.

"Why would we want to study somewhere else?" Tohru interrupted.

"Because my cousin will be settling in, and my parents will be excited to see her, so it won't be very quiet there," Emiko explained.

"Okay. Then what?" Tohru asked.

"Well, then we finish the school week, and my parents said that Kim and I could do what we wanted," she finished.

"So, you've got no plans?" Tohru asked, biting her lip in excitement.

"Nope, nothing planned," Emiko sighed sadly.

"That's perfect!" Tohru enthused.

"What? Why?" a very confused Emiko asked.

"Momiji bought- have you met Momiji?" Tohru asked. Emiko shook her head no. "You'll like him. Anyway, Momiji made reservations for himself, Hatori, Shigure, Yuki, Kyo, me, Arisa, and Saki to go to this hotel-resort thing. He only told Hatori, and the rest of us found out yesterday. But Arisa and Saki already have plans for their vacations. So Momiji told me to bring two of my other friends, and you instantly popped into my mind. And you can even bring your cousin!" Tohru said happily, "It's going to be awesome!"

"That sounds really fun!" Emiko replied in excitement, "As long as my parents say its fine, then I'm in! When should they expect me back?"

"We're supposed to leave really early Monday morning, so everybody's planned to stay Sunday night. We have reservations for four nights, and three days. We'll be back late Friday afternoon."

Tohru and Emiko arrived at the corner where they parted ways every afternoon, "Okay, I'll make sure that it's okay with my parents, and make sure Kim wants to come. See you tomorrow!" Emiko said, walking toward her home.

"Alright! See you tomorrow!" Tohru replied.

Emiko walked the remaining four blocks to her house thinking about Shigure, ~Why does he need to see me? Is it because he misses me as much as I miss him? Does he need to tell me something? Oh god, I hate surprises!~

Emiko pulled her keys out of her pocket, and unlocked the front door, "I'm home!"

She was greeted by silence, "Hello? Mom?"

Slowly, Emiko crossed the living room, and entered the empty kitchen. Looking around, she spotted a note on the table.

Koko-

Your mother and I have gone out to celebrate our anniversary early. Once your cousin gets here, we won't have the chance. You'll probably be in bed by the time we get back.

Your mother says she made dinner for you, and it's on the counter by the microwave.

We love you, sweetheart.

-Dad

~Damn it! How am I supposed to ask them if I can go with Tohru now? I'll just ask them tomorrow, and ask Kim if she's interested tonight.~

Emiko pulled out her cell phone, and dialed Kim's phone number for her dorm room.

The phone rang a few times, then a high voice Emiko didn't recognize answered, "Hello?"

"Um, hi. Is Kim there?" Emiko asked.

"She should be back in a minute; she had to go get sugar from the room next door. Can I ask who's calling?" the person said.

"Her cousin Emiko," she replied.

"Alright, if you'll just wai- never mind, she's back," Emiko heard.

There was some mumbling that she couldn't quite understand, then Kim's voice echoed through the phone, "Hey, bitch. So excited to talk to me that you couldn't wait until you saw me, huh?"

Emiko laughed, "Not quite. We got invited to go on a trip while you're here. It's to a resort-y hotel... thing. Now, I'm not positive that we can go, I've got to check with my parents, but if we can, are you interested?"

"Hell yes! And you know that Aunt Ronnie and Uncle Chikao will say you can go," Kim said with enthusiasm.

A huge smile on her face, Emiko replied, "I don't know for sure, which is why I have to ask. Anyway, that's all I needed to know. See you Wednesday!"

"Bye, bitch!" Kim replied, hanging up.

Rolling her eyes, Emiko hung up, and got started on her homework. She worked for about two hours, and then stopped when she had finished all of what was due soon. Slowly, she stood up, stretched, and glanced out the window. There seemed to be about an hour until sunset, so she went to her room, collected clothes, and went to shower before meeting Shigure.

Shigure's POV-

He was nervous. He hadn't been nervous about meeting a girl somewhere since he was eighteen. But Emiko... she meant so much to him. He was scared for her. Because eventually he would have to introduce her to Akito.

He looked out the window once again, to finally see what he wanted. It was finally late enough in the evening to get dressed and go meet Emiko.

"Tohru, I need to go see Hatori. I should be back soon," Shigure lied.

"Alright! I'll leave your dinner on the counter," Tohru replied from the kitchen.

He quickly changed into jeans, a plain black t-shirt, his jacket, and sneakers. Then, he left to meet Emiko.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N- Chapter 9. Wow. I didn't think that the story would get this far, and there is no visible end. Once again, I would like to thank readers, reviewers, followers, and those who favorite. Thank you! Each one of you brings me happiness. **

**Kimberly, as you know, will be going with to the resort. What you don't know is that she and Hatori are going to have a similar situation as Emiko and Shigure (Now you do, lol. It's no longer a secret!) If you're interested in me writing the story, review and tell me. If you're not, review. Just review. Review! I'm a greedy review lover, and I want you to help with my addiction. **

**To sparrowismyhummingbird- Sorry. I really tried to have it out by Tuesday, but I just couldn't. But here it is! xD**

**Disclaimer- I don't own Fruits Basket, or any of it's characters, blah, blah, blah, we all know the drill. I only own Emiko, Ryuu, and Kimberly.**

Chapter 9-

Emiko's POV-

Slowly, she smoothed her shirt, glancing at her reflection in the mirror. Her long, black curls were pulled into a high ponytail that cascaded to the bottom of her shoulder blades, with one long curl left by each ear to frame her face. She had put a touch of mascara on, and a layer of Chap Stick, but that was the only makeup she wore. The shirt she had on was white with an empire waistline and a scarlet halter neckline. Where the neck ties met the shirt, there was a cute little bow that was also scarlet. She wore skinny jeans so dark they were almost black, and white boots with red laces that went to her knees. The boots were heeled since he was so much taller then her.

~Okay, this looks cute.~ Emiko thought to herself, nibbling her lip slightly, ~But am I overdressed? Should I wear something more casual?~ Emiko turned to look through her closet and change clothes a fourth time, before she stopped herself. ~No, this is what I'm wearing. I am not changing again.~

She walked into the living room, and looked out the window. ~Perfect timing. I wonder if he's there yet?~ she thought to herself. She was about to walk to the door to go, when she saw him ever the park. He spotted her, smiled, and waved. She waved back, then went outside.

A huge smile on her face, she walked up to him, "Hi, Gure-san."

He smiled, "Hi, Miko-chan."

"I got your note," she blurted out. ~Oh, wow, I'm such an idiot! Duh!~

His smile grew larger, "Yeah, I kind of figured."  
She took his hand, and led him to the swings, sitting in one, and patting the other. He sat beside her.

"Gure-san?" Emiko said.

"Yes, Miko?" Shigure said. ~Did he just call me Miko? Until now I've never liked that name... but when he says it...~

"I've never... done this... before," Emiko said nervously. What if the fact that he was her first... everything scared him off?

"Done what?" Shigure asked obliviously.

"Dated someone. Kissed someone. You know?" she managed to stutter out.

"You haven't?" Shigure asked incredulously. At her head shake, he nodded in understanding, "Never met anyone you wanted, huh?"

She raised an eyebrow in confusion, "I've met people I wanted before."

Shigure stared at her in confusion, "Then why have you never dated anyone? You're beautiful and wonderful, and I can just see the guys lining up for you. I know I would."

Emiko blushed in happiness, "Thank you. Part of the reason I've never dated anyone is because every time I liked someone, they didn't like me. The guys that asked me out, I either thought of them as a friend, or thought they were just in it for the money."

Shigure looked confused, "What money?"

"My dad owns a modeling agency, and my mom used to model," Emiko stated. At Shigure's surprised look, she asked incredulously, "You didn't know?"

Shigure shook his head. "Oh," she said.

"Why did you want me to know?" Shigure asked looking at her.

"So that if I'm hesitant, or confused, you don't feel awkward, or offended," Emiko said with a blush, looking away from him.

After a few seconds, Emiko felt a warm, large hand tug her face forward. Shigure was kneeling in front of her. ~When did he get there?~

"Miko, I would never force you to do something you weren't ready for. I'm not that kind of man. We'll move at whatever pace you want," he said with a serious expression.

Emiko smiled, and blushed again, "So what did you want to talk to me about?"

Shigure laughed, and moved back to his swing, "And what says I didn't just miss you? Maybe I just wanted to see you."

"Did you?" she asked, biting her lip.

"Miss you? Yes. Want to ask you something? Yes again," Shigure said with a grin.

Emiko laughed, "What did you want to ask me?"

"You have vacation soon, right?" he asked, looking at her.

"Yes," she said with a smile.

"I was wondering if you wanted to go on a date with me on Sunday during your vacation," he said, glancing at her from the side.

"Isn't everyone going to be at your house that night because their going with Momiji?" she asked, still smiling.

"Well, yeah, but I wasn't planning on going anyway, so it- Wait a minute, how did you know about that?" Shigure stared at her in shock.

"You're not planning to go?" she asked. Shigure shook his head no, and she smiled playfully, "Well, that's too bad, because I was."

"Tohru invited you?" Shigure asked incredulously. At her nod, he smirked, "Well, I guess I'll have to postpone our date, because I will be going."

She smiled in glee, "Good. It wouldn't have been as fun without you."

"That's comforting. So, you know that I missed you, Miko, but did you miss me?" Shigure asked playfully, standing up, and grabbing her hand. Gently, he pulled her up out of her swing and along the path next to it.

"Yes, silly, I missed you. How could I not?" she teased right back.

Quietly, they walked down the path, occasionally talking, but mostly in silence. After about an hour, Emiko started to get cold, but didn't say anything. She was enjoying herself to much to want this to end, no matter how cold she got. ~That's what I get for not wearing a jacket. If I had worn one, I wouldn't be shivering.~

Quickly, Shigure noticed her shivering. Taking off his jacket, he held it out for her to put on, "You're cold. I'll take you home."

Reluctantly, she put Shigure's warm jacket on, "I don't want to go home."

"I know that feeling. But we're both getting cold, and it's dark. Besides, I'll see you on Sunday," he said with a smile.

A halfway fake pout present on her face, she conceded with a sigh, "You're right."

Slowly, they walked back to Emiko's house. Once they got there, Shigure walked her to the door.

"Gure-san? Do I get a goodbye kiss?" Emiko teased.

Shigure smiled, "If you want one."

Emiko smiled, and they both leaned in. Just as their lips were about to touch, Emiko's front door burst open, and an angry, feminine voice said, "And where have you been, young lady?"

~Oh, shit...~ Emiko thought, yanking herself away from Shigure. She looked toward the open door to see not only her mother, but her father, too.

"I think you two better come inside," said her father.

As her parents disappeared into the living room, Emiko turned to Shigure, "There's another reason that I've never had a boyfriend."

"What?" Shigure asked, curiously.

"My father. Anyone I brought home to meet him never wanted to go on another date."

"Is he really that scary?"

"He can be..."

Shigure's POV-

~He can be scary enough to make guys afraid to take Miko out on a second date?~ Shigure thought in concern.

They walked into the apartment, down a short hallway at the entrance, and into Emiko's living room.

Emiko's father was sitting in an armchair facing the couch. Her mother stood in the doorway to a bedroom.

"Emiko, you go talk to your mother. I'll talk to this young man," her father said. Emiko gave him an apologetic smile that looked more like a grimace before walking over to her mother. Her mother walked into the bedroom, and Emiko followed, waving before closing the door behind her.

Shigure looked at Emiko's father. He had black, straight hair cut short, and close to his head. His hairline looked like it had started to recede, proving, along with the laugh lines surrounding his chocolate brown eyes and mouth, that he was early to mid forties. Since he was sitting down, Shigure couldn't tell how tall he was, but if he had to guess, he would say five foot six, or five foot seven. (Around 168 centimeters, same as Emiko. I know I said she inherited her height from her dad, but never specified how tall she was ) All in all, he looked like a man who was typically kind and cheerful. Right at this moment, however, while he looked calm, Shigure felt a deadly chill in the air. He knew, if he made one mistake with this man, he would most likely be removed from Emiko's life.

"Sit down," he ordered, gesturing to the couch across from him. Unable to resist against the tone of command in his voice, Shigure gingerly sat on the edge of the couch.

"How did you meet my daughter?" he asked.

"Through Tohru," Shigure started. When he mentioned Tohru's name, Emiko's father relaxed just the tiniest bit, "Tohru lives in my house."

"Tell me about your relationship with my daughter," Emiko's father commanded.

~I feel like I'm at a job interview...~ Shigure thought. Nevertheless, he complied...

Emiko's POV-

She waved nervously at Shigure before closing the door to her mother and father's bedroom. Anxiously, she turned to face her mom, who patted the bed next to where she was sitting, "Come here, Pookie." (That's what her mom calls her. It's used just like sweetie, or baby.)

Emiko carefully sat down next to her mom, "Mom, I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

"Why are you sorry? I'm not angry," her mother interrupted.

"Y-You're not?" Emiko stuttered in incredulity.

"No, Pookie, I'm not. I was a little worried that you didn't leave a note, and slightly annoyed that you didn't tell me about that lovely gentleman out there, but I'm not angry," her mother smiled, giving her a small hug. Emiko smiled back, "Now that that's out of the way, tell me what it's like, Pookie."

Excited about finally being able to tell the person she's closest to about her relationship, she asked, "What do you want to know?"

Her mom giggled quietly, "Everything, but let's start with what's important. Is he a good kisser?"

Emiko flushed a painful shade of red, "MOM!"

Her mother laughed, "I knew it! You've kissed him!"

"So, you didn't actually want to know?" Emiko asked in relief.

"No. I wanted to see how far you'd gone with him, and this seemed like the funnier way of asking," her mom admitted guiltlessly.

"You are so terrible, Mom," Emiko stated.

Her mom smiled, "I know. Now, Pookie, tell me all about him."

So she did.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N- I'M BACK, BABY! Jk, lol. But anyway, lucky for you guys, the things in my life that we're forcing me to go on hiatus are OVER. I'm back, and here is the chapter as promised. I'm so glad that I'm already done. I mean, it's barely Friday… Here is your glorious chapter, and I hope you enjoy. : 3**

**No one told me that they were interested in the fic about Kimberly and Hatori. Right now I have two fics that I'm working on, and updating weekly, and one that I'm doing long, long, looong chapters for that I'm planning to update whenever I finish a chapter. Until I finish one of those fics, I don't want to start another chapter story unless I get enough known interest. So unless you want to wait for it, (and I'm going to warn you now, there is a chance I might forget) review and/or PM me and tell me that you're interested.**

**For anyone interested, this chapter has LOTS of Shigure's POV… yay for you!**

**Disclaimer- I don't own Fruits Basket, or any of it's characters, blah, blah, blah, we all know the drill. I only own Emiko, Ryuu, Kimberly, and Chikao and Veronica Koga.**

**Those are Emiko's parents. I figured that since they were in the last chapter and they are in this chapter, I should add them to my disclaimer…**

Chapter 10-

"Wow, Pookie. You are ass-over-elbows for that boy," her mom said, sitting up.

"Do you really think so?" Emiko asked, holding her knees to her chest.

Her mom smiled, "I know so. Now maybe we should go rescue your boyfriend from your father." Her mom crawled off the bed, and stood to walk to the door.

"Mom?" Emiko said before her mom left the room.

Her mom turned back, "Yes?"

"Tohru invited me and Kimberly to go with her and some other people to a resort over vacation. Kim wants to go, and so do I. Can we?" Emiko asked quickly.

"Who else is going?" she asked.

"Tohru, obviously. Yuki and Kyo, they've each picked up Tohru a couple of times. Hatori. He picked up Tohru once. Momiji. Neither of us have met him. And... and... well, Shigure," Emiko blushed.

Her mother looked thoughtful for a minute, "Hatori seemed responsible. You said Kim's going?" Emiko nodded. "Sure, you can go."

"I can!? Thank you, Mom!" Emiko squeezed her mom in a tight hug.

Her mom laughed, "Maybe I should let you go on trips with attractive men more often! Now, let's go rescue your boyfriend from your father."

They opened the living room door to find both men staring at anything but each other in absolute silence.

"Well. It either went much better or much worse than we expected," her mom stage-whispered. Emiko giggled quietly.

Shigure stifled laughter while her father looked over at them with laughter in his eyes, "Better."

Her mom sat in the chair next to her father's. Emiko looked around, "I'm going to go get a glass of water. Anybody want anything?"

Everybody shook their heads. Quickly, Emiko filled her glass and walked back to the living room. She sat down next to Shigure, giving him a smile as she did so.

"Shigure-kun, I only have two more questions. What do you do for a living?"

Shigure stated calmly, "I'm a successful novelist, sir."

Her father nodded, "How old are you?"

Shigure's POV-

~Jesus Christ, he should just have an application form. He seriously asked me about health issues!~ Shigure thought jokingly, "I'm 29, sir."

To his left, he heard Emiko choke on her glass of water.

Emiko's father nodded once more, "Your age is slightly... off-putting, but you have my blessing. You may date my daughter."

"That's good, Chikao, because they're going on a trip together!"

Chikao Koga looked like he had been pole-axed, "What did you just say, Veronica?"

Veronica beamed, which was obviously a usual expression for her, "They're going on a trip together! Isn't it wonderful?"

"They're, they're, they're WHAT!?" Chikao yelled.

"Pookie, show Shigure-kun to the door, please. Goodnight, Shigure-kun," Veronica said, grabbing her husband and pulling him towards the bedroom.

"Sure, Mom," Miko said, smiling, "Come on, Gure-san."

Shigure and Emiko walked through the small hallway to the front door. Emiko opened the door, and gestured for him to go through. After he had walked through the door, she followed, closing the door behind her.

"That's the first time my father has ever approved of the person I brought home with me," Emiko said, smiling.

"Are you going to be in trouble because of this?" Shigure asked guiltily.

Emiko shook her head, "No, my mom likes you."

~What?~ he thought. "What do you mean? How does that keep you out of trouble?"

"My mom is a very passive parent. She's a great mom, and one of my best friends. But, mostly, my dad makes the rules. But when my mom decides something, like that I can go with on the trip, my dad may grumble for a while, but what she says goes," Emiko said with a smile.

"So, basically, it all worked out," Shigure said.

"Yeah," Emiko laughed quietly, "Although that wasn't how I planned to introduce you to my parents."

~She... She planned to introduce me to her parents?~ Shigure smiled.

Emiko stared at him, laughing, "Why are you smiling like that? It's the goofiest grin I've ever seen."

"I'm just happy," Shigure said, then turned thoughtful, "Why did you choke on your water when I told your dad how old I was?"

Emiko looked at him perfectly seriously, "You're closer to my Mom's age than my own."

"What!?" Shigure asked in shock.

"I'm turning 18 in a few weeks. My mom is 38. You're eleven years older then me, but only nine years younger then my mom," she said, gracing him with a smile.

~ That's... almost scary...~ he thought, "Does that.. scare you?"

She stepped forward and hugged him, "Do you really think a number will make me walk away from you?"

Hesitantly and nervously, he wrapped his arms around her, "No, I guess not." Slowly, a smile grew in his face, ~I've never had this before... not with anyone...~

He moved his hand from her waist to her chin, pulling her face up to look at him, "I think I owe you a kiss."

She giggled, "What if my mom opens the door again?"

~Did Miko just Giggle?~ He smiled, "She likes me, remember?"

"True," she said, stretching upwards.

He leaned down then paused, "Did you shrink in the past twenty minutes...?"

She laughed, leaning back, "You ask me that Now?"

Shigure laughed too, "I guess it Is awkward for the mood, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Emiko smiled, "And I took off my shoes. They were heels."

"I guess that would do it," Shigure said.

Once again, he leaned in, leaving his hands around her waist. She smiled a gentle smile and wrapped her arms around his neck, stretching towards his lips like a flower towards the sun. Just before their lips touched, he watched her eyelids flutter shut. In response he closed his.

Gently, he pressed his lips to hers, attempting to take it slowly, to wait for her to make the next move. Like last time, he struggled to control his desire to run his hands up and down her body, to find all of her sensitive spots. Instead, he kept his hands wrapped around her, pulling her as close as possible. Eventually, she pulled away to breathe, panting with a faint blush on her face.

Shigure moved one hand from her waist to her face to stroke her blush, also breathing heavily, "You look so pretty when you blush, Miko."

"Koko! Are you outside?" Chikao shouted from inside.

Emiko turned to the door, and called, "I'll be inside in a minute!"

"See you next Sunday, Miko," Shigure smiled, still stroking her faint blush. By this point, her breathing had evened out.

She extracted herself from his arms, and opened her door. Just before going inside, she looked at him, "Bye bye, Gure." Then she shut the sure behind her.

~Did she... She just called me Gure...~ Quickly, an even bigger grin then the one before grew on his face, ~She called me Gure!~

Emiko's POV-

She leaned against the door for a minute, smiling. ~Apparently there is something better than my first kiss. My second...~

Quickly, she controlled her smile and blush, and walked to the living room. Her mother and father were sitting in their typical spots, her father in his chair, and her mother curled up in the right-hand corner of the couch. Emiko went and sat in the left-hand corner, like always.

Once she sat down, her father looked at her, "Your mother and I have decided you can go on this trip."

Emiko smiled, laughing inwardly, "Thank you, Daddy."

"When are you leaving, Pookie?" her mom asked.

"We're leaving early Monday morning, so everybody is staying at Gu- Tohru's house Sunday," she said, quickly exchanging Shigure's name for Tohru's.

Her father looked thoughtful for a minute, "When are you getting back?"

"Late afternoon or early evening Friday," Emiko said with a smile.

Her mom grimaced, "That's so much of your vacation."

"Well, we didn't have any plans for my vacation anyway. And Kim will be in on Wednesday, so you'll have four days to be with her before we leave," Emiko said, then she smirked, "Besides, you'll have three days and four nights all alone with Daddy."

Her father blushed, and hid behind his newspaper. Her mother smirked right back, "You fight dirty, young lady."

"I learned from the best, Mother-dear," Emiko said with a laugh.

She and her mother laughed, then went back to their books.

Saturday- (For anyone confused, there is still a week before they leave, and four days before Kim gets there! : 3)

Emiko was walking down the street with Tohru. Kyo and Yuki had both already run off to fight like they always did. They were heading home, and Emiko was planning her evening.

"Emiko?" Tohru said, breaking the easy silence.

Emiko blinked, and looked at Tohru, "Yeah?"

"You said we should probably study somewhere other then your house on Wednesday, right?" Tohru questioned.

After a few seconds of thought, Emiko nodded, "Yeah."

"Did you have anywhere in mind?" Tohru said, "Because I have a great idea where we could study."

"I was thinking the library," Emiko said, "What about you?"

"Well," Tohru said with a grin, "I was thinking we could study at my house."

"A-At your house!?" Emiko enthused.

"Yeah. It's a good place to study," Tohru smiled.

"I think you're right, Tohru. It is a Brilliant place to study," Emiko joked along.

They walked the rest of the way to the corner, where they both paused.

Emiko looked at Tohru. "Thank you," she said in complete seriousness.

Tohru smiled gently, "No problem."

Emiko had turned to leave when Tohru called out to her, "Emiko!"

Emiko looked back at Tohru, "Yeah?"

"It wasn't all for you, you know. I also did it for a selfish reason," Tohru said.

Emiko raised an eyebrow, "Why?"

"Because Shigure-san misses you. He's been moping around. My other option was to keep passing notes for him, and what if one was check-yes, check-no?"

Emiko laughed, smiled, and waved goodbye. She was still smiling when she got home.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N- Finally done. Whew. I wasn't sure I was going to be able to finish it. I was sitting around today, and I was like, "I'm so glad that it's Thursday, because I'm not inspired at all." And my roommate looked at me and said, "It's Friday." And I flipped out. So I looked at my clock, and it was five already. So, sorry if it seems rushed, or anything…**

**It's longer then the others because next week the new semester starts, and I'm planning to focus on all the oneshots floating around in my head. The new chapter will be out two weeks from now. **

**Kimberly is in this chapter! Yay! **

**See you guys in two weeks!**

**Disclaimer- I don't own Fruits Basket, or any of it's characters, blah, blah, blah, we all know the drill. I only own Emiko, Ryuu, Kimberly, and Chikao and Veronica Koga.**

Chapter 11-

Emiko's POV-

As the last bell rang, Emiko shot out of her chair, excited. ~Finally! I get to see Gure today! I mean, sure, I have to study first, but still!~ she thought as she gathered her things to leave, ~Oh yeah, Kim gets in today. I wonder if she's here yet...?~

Once she had all of her things, she stood up and started walking out of the building. As she was nearing the exit, she heard a familiar nasally voice calling her name, "Emiko-san!"  
~Crap, it's Ryuu. He hasn't talked to me since he saw me with Gure. What do I do?~ she thought nervously. She plastered on a smile, and turned to him, "Hey, Ryuu!"

He stopped in front of her, and looked sadly down at his feet, "So... Are you and that guy...?"

"Yes," Emiko told him gently, "We're dating."

"I thought so... Is that why you never wanted to go out with me?" He asked, still staring at his feet.

~Wow, he's great at asking awkward questions, isn't he?~ she thought, "No. I only see you as a friend, Ryuu. Just a friend."

Ryuu looked crestfallen, "Oh. I guess that, until now, it never got through to me."

"Yeah," Emiko said awkwardly, "Well, I have to go. Tohru's waiting for me."

"Yeah. See you around I guess," he said just as awkwardly.

Emiko slowly walked away, feeling guilty. Once she was outside, Tohru waved her over, "Emiko! What took you so long?"

"I had to talk to somebody. Where are Yuki and Kyo?" Emiko asked, looking around for the boys.

Tohru glanced around, "I don't know... they were here just a minute ago."

"It's okay, we'll just have to walk to your house without them," Emiko said.

They walked for about a minute in silence before Tohru looked over at her, "Are you okay? You seem kind of down."

"Yeah, I'm... No," Emiko admitted.

Tohru looked over at her, concerned, "What's wrong?"

"Do you remember that project where I partnered with Ryuu?" she asked.

"Yeah, why?" Tohru loss at her in confusion.

"Well, every since then, he's been trying to get me to go out with him," Emiko said with a faint blush, "And when I went shopping with Gure, he saw us together. He didn't talk to me until today, and he just made me feel really guilty."

"You have no reason to feel guilty, Emiko. You told him from the start that you didn't want to date him," she comforted, then get face changed and a smirk appeared on her face, "Did you just say "Gure"?"

Emiko felt her face heat up as a painful amount of blood rushed to it, "N-N-No!"

Tohru laughed, "Uh huh, suuurrre."

Emiko laughed too, "Don't judge me!"

They giggled and walked the rest of way to Tohru's without incident. Once they got there they noticed a note from Shigure.

Miko  
Sorry I'm not here. My friend Ayame said that it was important, but it probably isn't. When I get back, I'll walk you home. Study up!  
Shigure

"Well then," Tohru said, grabbing the note, "Let's go study!"

Shigure's POV-

He opened the door, and walked inside, groaning, ~Well, that was stupid. Why do I care about his new line? It's not like I can wear them. That was the biggest waste of an afternoon ever...~

"Gure?" a musical voice called.

He turned and looked at the stairs, where the voice had come from. Sitting on the third stair was Emiko, his girlfriend. A smile crept onto his face. ~She's mine, all mine... Well, that's a little stalkerish...~

"Hey, Miko," he said still smiling. He walked over and sat next to her, "What are you doing here?"

"Don't tell me you forgot," she said, eyebrow raised, "You promised to walk me home."

"I did, didn't I?" Shigure smirked, standing, "Well come on then."

Emiko laughed, but stood anyway, "Well someone is excited now. Why is that?"

"Well, the sooner I get you home the sooner I get another kiss," he teased as they excited the house.

Her jaw dropped and she laughed silently. "Or maybe you won't get one," she teased back.

"Yes, but if I don't get one then neither do you," Shigure stated in false seriousness.

Emiko pretended to be thinking, then Shigure saw her face morph into a playful grin, "I don't know... it might be worth it."

"What?" Shigure asked in only halfway fake shock.

She looked at him from the corner of her eye, then nodded with fake determination, "It'll teach you a lesson."

"Oh? And what is this lesson?" Shigure asked in a playful tone.

Emiko looked at him with a serious gaze, "That not all kisses are goodbyes."

Shigure looked ahead, thinking, ~She's right. I've only kissed her goodbye so far. Does that mean she wants me to kiss her? Well, only one way to find out...~

Shigure grabbed Emiko's hand, pulling her to a stop. She turned around, confusion written all over her face. And there, right in the middle of the path to his house, he kissed her.

Emiko's POV-

Shigure's lips moved against hers, and his arms clutched her to him. One arm was around her waist, while his other hand was at the nape of her neck, pushing her face towards his. Her hands moved of their own accord to tangle themselves in his hair, tugging him closer. She stood on her tiptoes and stretched up to him. It felt like something was missing, like there was something that was supposed to happen but hadn't. Suddenly, she felt Shigure slowly draw his tongue across her lower lip, causing her to gasp. Once her mouth opened, Shigure pressed his tongue into it. Somehow, it felt right. Hesitantly, she moved her tongue to wrestle with his. Soon she gave up, and let his tongue explore her mouth. After a few minutes, she pulled away to breathe, but for once Shigure didn't stop, he just moved. He moved and started nibbling and kissing her neck, and she felt waves of pleasure shoot through her. She gasped, feeling her fingers and toes curl. She tugged his head, and he reluctantly moved away from her neck. He looked into her eyes, and she pulled his face back to her for another kiss. His tongue delved back into her mouth, and continued exploring her mouth like it was his job. Slowly, her senses zeroed in on nothing but the feeling of him, the way his mouth was moving, the way his body was pressed against hers.

Out of nowhere, Shigure jerked away from her. Slowly, she opened her eyes and looked at him. He was looking back toward the house, eyes wide. She followed his gaze and saw Kyo staring at them with huge eyes.

"What the fuck?!" he screamed.

Emiko felt her face flood with heat, enough to be slightly painful.

"I have to walk Miko home," Shigure said, "I'll answer your questions when I get back."

"No, that's not-" Kyo started.

"Goodbye, Kyo. I'll be back soon," Shigure said, grabbing her hand and speed-walking away.

Once they were far enough away, Shigure slowed down and started walking at a normal pace.

"What was that all about?" Emiko asked, turning her head to look behind her.

"Well, imagine how you would feel if you caught one of the people you live with making out with one of your friends," Shigure said, slowly swinging their linked hands as they walked.

"True," she said, "I would probably react the exact same way."

They walked the next few blocks in silence, until, "Gure? Who's Ayame?"

"Ayame?" Shigure asked, "Well, he's one of my best friends. We've known each other since we were little, since he's my cousin."

"He is?" she asked curiously.

"Yeah," Shigure smiled, "He's Yuki's older brother. He's a designer, but most of the time he makes me come and look at them, like today."

She cocked her head, "What does he design?"

Surprisingly, Shigure blushed faintly and looked away, "Oh, this and that."

~What could he possibly design that could make Gure blush?~ she thought as her brain latched onto the subject.

"So, when does your cousin get here? I heard she was coming with us," Shigure said, changing the subject.

~I'll let you change the subject, but I will find out...~ she thought. "Her plane was supposed to land today, so she's probably already here."

They turned the corner, and right in front of them was her house. ~What? We're here already?~

They walked in the building and up to her front door.

She glanced at him, a huge smile on her face, "Thanks for walking me home, Shigure." ~Okay, Emiko, don't you dare kiss him. Your mom, cousin, and father are right inside.~

"No problem," Shigure smiled.

~Well, maybe a little kiss would be okay...~ she justified to herself. She put her arms around his neck, and leaned in. With a huge grin, he started to lean in too.

"Hey, bitch. Oh, am I interrupting?" a sexy alto voice asked from the newly opened door.

~What, are we in an anime now?~ she thought annoyed, but she plastered on a smile, and turned to look at her cousin, "Not at all."

Her cousin leaned against the door frame, smirking. Her cousin was the same height as Emiko's mother and aunt. Of the four of them, she was the only one that wasn't five eleven. She had inherited her mothers long legs, slim waist, perfect hourglass figure, heart-shaped face, huge eyes, and long wavy hair. But while her shape looked exactly like her mother's, her coloring was nothing alike.

Where her mother was pale, she had golden skin. While her mother was a brunette, her hair was red. Where her mother's eyes were green, hers were a dark purplish blue. She had a small scattering of adorable brown freckles across her nose and cheeks. Basically, while she was cut with the same cookie cutter as her mom, her father's Scottish heritage is what showed. Her cousin had a lip ring; in one ear she had six earrings, while in the other she had three and a bar.

"Are you sure? Cause I can go back inside," she offered.

"No, it's okay," Emiko said, feeling her annoyance evaporate, "Bye, Gure." She gave him a quick peck on the cheek, then slipped out of his arms.

Shigure sighed, "Good night, Miko."

Shigure walked away and out the doors. Emiko walked in the apartment behind her cousin.

"Was that the boyfriend I've heard so much about from Aunt Ronnie?" Kim asked, a smirk running rampant on her face, "Because if he is then, damn girl, you did well for yourself!"

Emiko blushed, "Kim!"

Kim laughed, "What? He's hot! And his ass isn't that bad, either!"

"Whose ass isn't that bad?" Emiko's mother said, walking out of the kitchen and into the living room the girls had just entered.

"Shigure's," Kim said.

Emiko's mom nodded, "See? I told you he was hot."

"Mom!" Emiko shrieked, traumatized, "You checked out Gure?"

"With the way he looks, every girl that sees him has checked him out," her mom said.

"And probably quite a few boys," Kimberly added with a smile.

"Okay, it's official. I'm scarred for life," Emiko said, a horrified look on her face, "I can't believe my own mother checked out my boyfriend."

"And decided he was hot," Kim added teasingly.

Emiko shuddered, "I'm going to my room."

Her mother and Kim burst out laughing.

Shigure's POV-

"I'm home," he said, and looked around. Sitting in the living room were Yuki, Kyo, and Tohru.

"How did you not change?" Kyo asked.

Shigure sighed, took off his shoes, then sat on the couch, "Hatori and I both aren't sure. But Emiko can hug me."

"Can any other girls hug you?" Yuki asked, curiosity in his voice.

"I don't know," Shigure admitted. Kyo looked angry and was about to yell when Shigure interrupted, "It's not like I wander around hugging every girl I see!"

"Um, do you want me to hug you?" Tohru offered.

Shigure thought, then nodded. Hesitantly, Tohru wrapped her arms around Shigure's waist. For a minute, they say there awkwardly, and then she pulled away, "I guess you don't change when hugged."

"I... I don't change when hugged..." Shigure trailed off, a smile growing on his face.

"Tohru, would you mind hugging me? I want to see if we still change," Yuki said.

"Sure!" Tohru said. She stood up, walked over to Yuki, and hugged him. Promptly, he turned into a rat.

"I guess it's just you, Shigure," Kyo said with a scowl.

Bang, bang, bang! they heard as someone pounded on the door. Shigure quickly stood and opened the door. Standing there in the cold was Hatori. In his arms he had an old book bound in cracked black leather.

"I think I know why you don't change."


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N- I'm so sorry! Please don't kill me! This chapter is SUUUUPER important in the story. I'm sorry it's been so long since I've updated, but school started, and then I was really busy, and then I just couldn't concentrate on this fic, and then writer's block struck. **

**But today was my birthday, and I promised myself that I could have a second piece of cake (despite my diet) if I updated this fic. A full chapter will be out on Friday or Saturday.**

**Looking forward to seeing you then!**

**Disclaimer- Nope, I don't own Fruits Basket. Maybe someone will give it to me as a birthday gift…!**

Chapter 12-

Shigure's POV-

Shigure stared at Hatori in shock, "Then come in, you fool!"

Hatori stepped inside, and they crossed to the living room, where Tohru, Yuki, and Kyo still sat.

Hatori glanced, "I don't think you'll want Yuki or Kyo to hear this. They're terrible with secrets."

"Go on, you two," Tohru shepherded them out of the room before closing the door.

"So, what's the reason?" Shigure asked.

"This is the original story of the zodiac animals, and the curse," Hatori said.

_A long, long time ago, God decided to invite all of the animals to a banquet. He sent out word for all of them to come to his house the following evening, "And don't be late!" he said. The next day, all of the animals arrived at God's palace for the banquet. However, the cat was very ill. Soon, all of the other animals had caught ill, and they were soon going to die. God said, "I can save you all, but you must make a promise. You must promise to stay with me forever, even if that means being reborn many times. That way, we could have a never-ending banquet, and eternal happiness". All of the animals agreed, except for the cat. The cat said, "I don't want eternal happiness. I want to feel all of life's emotions- even sorrow. What kind of life is filled with happiness and nothing but happiness? I want to move on, to live in this heaven." Since God could only save them if all of the animals agreed, they all died. God brought them back to life, to stay by his side forever, cursing the cat to have a 'true form'. But he gave them hope. If they could find someone, who they could truthfully say, "I was born to love you." They would no longer be cursed to return to God's side._

"So, Shigure-san was born to love Emiko-chan?" Tohru asked eyes wide.

Hatori nodded, "Yes."

Hatori and Tohru kept talking, but all Shigure heard was the same sentence running through his head over and over, a huge, goofy grin on his face.

~I was born to love Miko.~


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N- As promised, a chapter! Apparently, I'm not allowed to take breaks on this story. Every time I do, I don't update for weeks and weeks. But here you are. A new chapter. This chapter is mostly about Kim. Sorry if you were hoping for more about Shigure and Emiko. That's the next chapter. **

**I updated my profile today. If you didn't know, I do request fics. I will do oneshots, and complete them within two weeks of receiving the request. If it's a chapter story, that'll have to wait until I've finished one of the stories I'm doing currently. The request format is on my profile if you have one. **

**Disclaimer- Blah, blah, blah, blah, don't own, blah. We get it.**

**And now, without further ado, the new chapter!**

Chapter 13-

Emiko's POV-

Emiko and Kimberly walked up the path, toting their luggage along with them.

"Hey, Koko?" Kimberly said hesitantly, glancing at her.

~Koko? She only calls me Koko when she's nervous about something. And she hasn't called me Koko since her dad died… What's she scared of?~ she thought worriedly, brows furrowing.

She cleared her face, calling her by the matching childhood nickname that Kim's father had created, "Yeah, Lyly?"

Shockingly, Kimberly didn't glare at Emiko for calling her that. Instead, she stopped walking, and turned worried eyes on her, "What… what if they… never mind." She kept walking.

~Kim's worried they won't like her? I didn't know she still worried about that. Sure, she was really self-conscious when she was younger, but now she always seems really tough, like she's not scared of anything.~

Emiko grabbed Kim's arm, pulling her to a stop, "They'll love you, Lyly. Don't worry about it."

Kim smiled faintly, relief spreading through her eyes, "Don't call me that, Bitch."

Emiko laughed, "For now."

They both started walking again, the lights of the house shining through the dusky light among the trees. Emiko felt a huge grin spread over her face, ~I get to see Gure. God, have I missed him.~

"Bitch, slow down!" Kim laughed. Emiko glanced back to see her cousin ten feet behind her.

Emiko giggled, stopping and waiting for Kim, "Sorry. I'm just excited."

Kim laughed harder, "Apparently. But that doesn't mean you have to abandon me. I don't know how to get to the house, you know."

Once Kim caught up, she and Emiko continued walking while Emiko finished telling her about the people she knew that were going with them. They were almost to the house when she finished.

Kim glanced at her, "They sound nice. You really love this Gure, don't you?"

Emiko felt a heavy blush cover her face, "L-Love? I-I-I don't l-l-love him!"

~Is that what this is? Love? It's different then any other love I've ever felt… but isn't it supposed to be?~

Kim rolled her eyes, "Okay, sure. You don't love him. I believe you."

Emiko glared half-heartedly, "Good. You _should_ believe me."

Kimberly's POV-

They walked the rest of the way down the path in silence. ~Who lives this far into the damn woods, anyway? It's ridiculous. Why would anyone want to live this far away from town? This is very different from home.~

They rounded a corner, finally seeing the house. Emiko grinned, and sped up slightly, quickly covering the final steps to the door and knocking.

Kim glanced away with envy, ~I wish that was still me. Excited to see my boyfriend, excited to be coming _home_, my _real_ home. His arms, wherever he was. _That_ was home… but now… it's not. Act happy, Kim. Don't ruin this for her…~

Kim mounted the steps just as the Emiko's boyfriend opened the door, matching grin on his face. Kimberly smiled, covering her envy with it.

"Miko…" he sighed out, a relaxed look crossing his face, as if seeing her was a drug, and every day without it pained him.

"Gure…" Emiko said, the same look crossing her face. Kim felt her heart squeeze.

"Hey, Bitch, I'm going to go look around, okay?" Kim said, not looking at her.

"Um… that's okay, I think. Right, Gure?" Emiko replied hesitantly.

"It's fine. Are you sure you don't want to come inside, Kimberly?" Emiko's boyfriend asked, confusion in his voice.

"Yeah, I'm sure," Kim said as she put her things on the porch, still not looking at them, "I'll bring these inside later."

As Kim stepped off the porch, she heard Emiko say hesitantly, "O… kay."

She walked toward one of the other paths in the clearing, hearing the door shut as Emiko and Shigure went inside. She walked down the path until it too opened into a clearing. This clearing had only a bench sitting in it, along with a tall oak tree.

She walked slowly to the bench and sat down, arms crossed, clutching her sides, as if trying to stop herself from falling apart, ~Maybe I shouldn't have come. It's too early for this. I can't deal with watching Koko and Shigure's faces light up like that. It hurts… I don't want it to hurt, but it does. I want so badly to be over him, but… god, I loved him…~

"Are you okay?" an unfamiliar male voice called from behind her. Kim turned around, seeing a man about Shigure's age standing at the entrance to the clearing. He had black hair that hung over his right eye. He was pale, and tall, with what would have seemed like no expression if Kim hadn't been so good at reading people's faces. His warm brown eyes held a faint trace of worry.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Kim said, forcing a smirk onto her face, "Why wouldn't I be?"

The man started walking toward her, one eyebrow raised, "If you're fine, why are you crying?"

She reached up with a shocked hand to discover that the man was right; there were tears running down her face. As she stared in betrayal at the tears on her fingertips, the man sat down next to her on the bench.

"I'm assuming you're Emiko's cousin Kimberly," he said.

Kim looked at him, "Yeah. You have the advantage of me, though."

The look in the guy's eyes changed to faint amusement, although the rest of his face didn't, "I'm Hatori."

She glanced away, "Oh. So you're going with us?"

"Yes," he replied.

They sat there for a few minutes before Hatori spoke again, "Do you want to talk about it?"

Kim opened her mouth to tell him that, no she didn't, "I was dating this guy. I met him in my freshman year at college, and we started out as friends. Even though we didn't have any classes together after that one course, we still talked, texted, hung out, the works. And over summer break that year, we were constantly emailing. When we got back, he asked me on a date. We went on a couple of dates before he asked me to be his girlfriend, and I said yes. We dated for nearly a year before I felt like something was changing. He was changing, our relationship was changing, and I hated it. I hated it because I loved him, and the affection from his side was disappearing."

Hatori nodded, "Go on."

"I didn't bring it up. I was scared that if I brought it up, he would notice, and he'd break up with me. I was scared to death of losing him. So I said nothing," Kim felt the tears start up again, "Last month, my best friend told all of us that she was getting married to this boy she knew back home. Not many people knew she was dating him, my boyfriend being on of them. The next day, he told me the truth. He had been using me the whole time to get closer to my best friend, so that 'When we inevitably broke up, she would already know and like him, and he could ask her out.' I felt like I was dying. He had never loved me, and I gave him the one thing I'd always kept from people. I'd given him my heart, my love, and he'd thrown it away, as if it was nothing but trash."

Kim buried her face in her hands, "I loved that asshole, and I still do. I know what he did, and I know that he never loved me, but every time I see him, all I can hear is my heart pounding in my ears, and I just want him to hold me, tell me it was all just a lie, that he never meant it, that he loves me. I decided I needed to get away from him, go somewhere I'd never taken him. So I come here, hoping to escape from him, and my feelings, and discover that Emiko has a boyfriend. And every time she talks about him, or sees him, the expressions I used to make cross her face, and I feel my heart break even more, and it hurts so badly. I came here to escape my feelings, escape the hurt, but every moment here just hurts even more."

Hatori looked her in the eyes, "I'm not going to say that it'll be fast, or painless, but it will get better. Eventually, you'll be able to see other people in love, and it won't hurt. You won't be jealous anymore. You'll be able to look at people like Emiko and Shigure, and you'll be able to be happy for them. It won't be an act."

Kim stared at him, a faint smile playing with her lips, "I'm assuming something similar has happened to you."

A look of old pain shone from his eyes, "It was a long time ago."

She wiped the tears from her eyes, standing, "We should probably get back to the house. Emiko is going to be worried about me."

"Yeah," Hatori said, standing.

Kim started walking back, side by side with Hatori.

~Why did I tell him all of that? It has nothing to do with him. The only other person I've told is my mother. Why do I feel so much better now that he knows? Why do I feel so much safer now that he's near…?~

Hatori's POV-

He walked down the path next to Emiko's cousin.

~Why did I ask? I don't know her, and I don't want to get to know her. I don't want to get close to anyone. So why was I so worried about her when Shigure and Emiko walked in and said she'd seemed weird and had gone for a walk? Why was I so scared when I saw her crying? Why was I so angry that her ex-boyfriend made her cry…?~

They entered the clearing with Shigure's house, and they both walked up to the porch.

He saw her settle her features into a faintly smirk-like smile, and open the door, pulling her bag in behind her. Hatori didn't think she was attractive. He didn't like her red hair, or her piercings. He didn't like her faint smile, or the fact that she was the same height as him. But he knew one thing. She was beautiful. Her feelings, her strength, her convictions. All of these things made her beautiful in his eyes.

It was a strange feeling for him.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N- And I have to apologize again… -_-" I am a terrible person. This story just doesn't get updated enough… sorry…**

**Anyway, I PROMISE ON MY LIFE, that there will be a new chapter out next Friday. My Update Schedule is on my profile, and this fic is supposed to be updated every other Monday, but the next time this fic is supposed to be updated is Christmas Eve, and I have two other holiday-themed stories that are supposed to be out that day, so I moved the update to next Friday. **

**Anyway, I'm doing what I call the Great Month of Stories, so if you read/watch Fairy Tail or Bleach, you might want to check out the December Schedule on my profile. If you don't, then just wait patiently for the next chapter!**

**Disclaimer- I promise, I don't own Fruits Basket. You can tell which characters I own, since they weren't in the anime or the manga.**

Emiko's POV-

"Hey, Bitch, I'm going to go look around, okay?" Kimberly half-asked, half-stated.

Emiko turned and looked at her normally cheerful and sassy cousin, who was standing on the porch staring pointedly away from her and Shigure, a look of hidden pain in her eyes.

~But why does looking at me and Gure make her sad...?~

"Um... That's okay, I think. Right Gure?" Emiko replied hesitantly. Yuki and Kyo had told her often not to go wandering off into the woods by herself, but Kimberly could take care of herself.

Shigure sent Emiko a look that obviously asked 'what did I do wrong', and said, "It's fine. Are you sure you don't want to come inside, Kimberly?"

"Yeah, I'm sure," Kim said, putting her things down on the porch, "I'll bring these inside later."

"O...kay," Emiko said hesitantly as Kimberly stepped off the porch and wandered off down one of the paths.

"Miko? Why is she so upset?" Shigure asked her, concern on his face.

Emiko shrugged as they stepped inside the house, "I don't know, Shigure. She's been a little weird ever since she got here, but it hasn't been that bad. It's just…" She trailed off.

"Just what?" Shigure asked, taking Emiko's bag from her and placing it with all the other guest's bags at the foot of the stairs. It was quite obvious that they were all unsure of where everyone was sleeping tonight.

Emiko looked up into Shigure's warm grey eyes, "It seems to be whenever she's around a couple."

"Oh," Shigure nodded knowledgably, "Troubles of the heart."

"Who's having troubles of the heart?" a voice that Emiko had heard only a couple of times asked.

"Hello, Hatori-san," Emiko said, smiling at him. She had met him a couple months ago, when he had come to pick up Tohru, since she was going to see Momiji.

"Hello, Emiko-san," Hatori replied, facial expression never changing. He turned back to Shigure, "So, who were you guys talking about?"

Shigure pointed a thumb outside, "Miko's cousin. She got here, and then went off into the woods."

Hatori's brow crinkled, "Are you sure it's a good idea for her to be wandering off in the woods by herself?"

Emiko smiled, "Don't worry, Kimberly can take care of herself. She's strong."

"That wasn't what I was referring to," Hatori said.

Emiko and Shigure exchanged confused glances. Finally, Shigure asked, "Then what were you worried about?"

Hatori walked around them and put his shoes on, "She's obviously emotional, so she's probably not paying attention to things. She could get hurt."

After Hatori had exited the house, Emiko looked up at Shigure with confusion written on her face, "I'm not trying to insult Hatori-san, but he's never met Kim. Why does he care so much about her?"

For a split second, Shigure got a strange look on his face, but it disappeared before Emiko could decide if it was really there, "Who knows? Hatori has always been weird."

Emiko looked at Shigure for a second to long, before shaking off her suspicion that he wasn't telling her something, "Okay. So where is everybody else?"

Shigure led her into the living room, and he sat on the couch. When she went to sit next to him, he smirked and tugged her into his lap. When she blushed, he laughed, finally answering her question, "Well, Hatori went to find your cousin, as you know. Tohru decided that she needed to go to the store to get more things to cook for dinner since we had so many guests, and Momiji said he wanted to go with her. Then Yuki and Kyo got into an argument about who was going with her, and eventually they all left together for the store."

Emiko cocked her head to the side, "So, that means we're all alone?"

He gave her a slightly predatory smirk, "Yup. We're _all_ alone."

The way he said it caused a huge blush to spread across her cheeks, "D-Don't say it like that!"

Shigure laughed and gave her a quick peck on the cheek, "Sorry, Miko. But your face is really cute when you blush."

Emiko pursed her lips slightly, and gently smacked his shoulder, "That doesn't mean you should do things to make me blush on purpose."

Shigure gave a falsely sad sigh, "Oh, alright. If you insist."

"I do," she said, fake imperiously.

They smiled at each other, and Emiko said, "Shigure?"

"Yes?" he asked, raising an eyebrow questioningly.

"If we're all alone," she started, looking at him from under her eyelashes.

"Yes?" he asked again.

"Does that mean that no one will stop me if I try to kiss you?"

Shigure smirked, "Not only will no one try to stop you, I think that one hundred percent of the people in this room will encourage you."

She smiled again, this one less innocent, "I thought so."

Slowly, she shifted so that she was no longer sitting sideways across his lap; now, she was straddling him. She brought her lips to his jaw line, and left a trail of slow, gentle kisses across it.

"What are you doing?" she heard Shigure ask, voice rougher then normal.

She giggled against his jaw, "You always kiss my neck. I guess it's my turn, right?"

She felt Shigure swallow, "Oh."

With a long, teasing stroke, she brought her lips to his. Shigure's mouth opened the very second their lips touched, and he tried to spear his tongue in her mouth, but Emiko pulled away, giggling, "Nuh uh uh. I already said that it's my turn."

Shigure smiled a slightly nervous smile, "A-Alright."

Emiko could tell that he liked that she was leading their kisses for once, but was obviously nervous about relinquishing control. Gently, she leaned in again.

When Shigure kissed her, their kisses were always fast and heated, as if they would die if they didn't kiss now, now, _now._ When Emiko kissed him, however, their kisses were slow, and teasing, as if they had all the time in the world, as if nothing would ever stop them.

Slowly, their kiss got hotter and hotter, until she finally dragged her tongue across his bottom lip. Instantly, Shigure's mouth opened, and she leisurely slid her tongue into his mouth.

Just as her tongue was starting to explore his mouth, they both heard the front door open. Their eyes opened in shock, and they quickly separated, smoothing hair and clothes.

"We're back!" Tohru called, stopping in the doorway to the living room, "Oh, hi, Emiko-chan. I didn't know you were here already. Where's your cousin?"

"She went for a walk," Emiko said, doing her best to control the raging blush on her cheeks about almost getting caught, once again.

A young, girl-ish voice she had never heard before quickly asked, "Emiko-chan? Isn't that Shigure's new girlfriend?"

"Yes," came Yuki's voice.

"Hey, where's Hatori?" Kyo asked as he walked into the living room and plopped down in the nearest chair.

"He, also, went for a walk," Shigure replied. Kyo raised an eyebrow before shrugging, obviously not caring.

Suddenly, a young blonde boy stood in front of Emiko. He shifted, cutely nervous, "Hi. I'm Momiji."

Emiko smiled at him, "It's nice to meet you, Momiji-kun."

All of a sudden, the young boy dived for her, "Oh, I just want to hug you, Emiko-chan!"

Shigure's arms wrapped around her, yanking her back into his lap, "Sorry, Momiji, but all of her hugs are mine, now."

Momiji looked at Shigure and Emiko with wide eyes for a second before grinning widely, "Oh. Okay. I'm gonna go help Tohru-chan!"

As Momiji ran out of the room, Emiko looked up at Shigure, "Gure, I wouldn't have minded hugging Momiji-kun."

Shigure smiled and gave her a quick peck on the lips, "Yes, but I don't like sharing."

She blushed up at him, her smile growing.

Slowly, their lips drew closer and closer until-

"Eew. Get a room," Kyo said from his chair.

Their foreheads fell together, and they stared into each other's eyes, faint annoyance on both of their faces. It was like they were in an anime. Every time they tried to kiss, someone would interrupt them.

"I'll guess I'll go help Tohru, too," Emiko said, standing up with a sigh.

She glanced back at Shigure once on her way to the kitchen, and caught him staring at her hips as she walked. With a light blush, she left the living room.

~Was he…? Was he really staring at my hips while I walked? Oh god. What else does he stare at?~ she thought, blushing slightly heavier.

But her blush grew to ridiculous proportions when she realized that she didn't care…


End file.
